FEDPOLYNEK RECTOR MEETS NAISS OFFICIALS, CLEARS AIR ON NO-FEE-NO-EXAM POLICY, DISCLOSES HE HAS PAID FEES FOR OVER 50 INDIGENT STUDENTS
The Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr. M.C. Arimanwa FNSE, JP, has met with officials of the National Association of Imo State Students (NAISS) who paid a courtesy call on him last Thursday at the Council Chambers of the institution.
He used the opportunity to clear the air on the no-fee-no-exam policy in the institution and allied matters. He also disclosed that he had paid fees for over 50 indigent students whom he had not met, as he did so through the three chaplaincies in the institution.
The Rector, however, averred that no student is too indigent to fulfil their obligation to the institution only that most students do not prioritize fees, as they have the false belief that it is their right to allow the fees to pile up till the time of clearance.
With regard to school fees compliance, the Rector revealed that only less than 30% has paid fees in the face of rising costs of essential services in the institution. He maintained that it was unjustifiable for a student to stay five months into a session without paying fees, wondering how they expect the institution to be run. The smart Rector also disclosed that the act of staying in school beyond two weeks as a debtor contravenes the conventions of the students’ handbook which guides the operations of students.
According to him, “The student handbook states that students have only two weeks to pay their fees. In our days in this institution, once you did not register in two weeks, you had voluntarily deregistered yourself. It is instructive that this clause on the time frame for fee payment is almost universal, whether you are in the south or north. But where there is considerable compliance on fee payment, an institution may exercise patience with few debtors, but not in our case where less than 30% has paid. It is even laughable that some people compare Nekede with other polytechnics in the north in order to arrive at a false or self-serving conclusion. These self-appointed populists fail to compare the socio-economic and numerical conditions of Nekede and those institutions who are in the north. Let me make it clear, there is no institution anywhere in the world that keeps mute when students do not comply with the payment of fees.”
The Rector accused the Student Union Government of double standard, stating that while they sought permission to have students’ dues increased from N600 to N1000 due to high cost of services, they championed the opposition to the no-fee-no-exam policy. He also wondered the rationale for students to send releases to media houses as well as contracting people to disparage the institution and its management on the social media. The Rector, thus, challenged the students to state how many times they had protested against increments from landlords and food vendors. The fees paid by students according to the Rector are called service charges, not tuition as misconstrued by many people.
In his words, “Services are not done on credit. There are cars to repair, diesel to purchase, security personnel to pay, cleaners to pay, labourers to pay, drugs to buy for the clinic, contract and casual staff to pay, to mention a few. When I became Rector in 2018, one tanker of diesel which lasted only a month was sold at N7.2M but today it is N35M. ”Furthermore, the Rector insisted that the no-fee-no-exam policy is enforced in all institutions unless where compliance rate is considerable.
“Go and make your investigations, there is no higher institution that folds arms when less than 30% of her student populace pays school fees. Why then would that of Nekede be blown out of proportion due to some misguided, vested interests? Those that are advancing the argument of allowing students write exams because they will pay during the clearance stage may be ignorant because many students finish exams and flee. Till date, we still have certificates of 2012 that have been scripted but not collected. There is no logic asking to be allowed till the time of clearance. Now, is it possible for a service provider to wait to be paid only when students do clearance?”
Regarding the Computer-Based Test (CBT) exam model, the Rector stated that it is a model used by so many examination bodies, which the institution adopted when he assumed office. “And it is not within the purview of students to determine how they will be examined. In 2019 we introduced the CBT but in 2020 there was a consensus to allow debtor students due to the effects of COVID-19. In 2021, students pleaded to be allowed to write CBT only in the second semester, promising to comply with writing it from the first semester of 2021/2022. We were shocked again that in 2022, they pleaded that we shelve introducing the CBT in first semester till 2023.
“Consequently, on 24 October 2022, a Management Committee sat and resolved that CBT exams would be introduced from first semester 2022/2023 session in order to harness the full benefits of the exam model. A memo to that effect was communicated to the Polytechnic Community in general and the SUG in particular. When therefore we published the first semester exam time table in June, we were shocked at the negative reactions of students. The SUG officials in cahoots with undesirable elements began to sponsor media attacks against us. Pray, do you fight someone whom you are owing? They even went to the Police Area Command and DSS to be allowed to protest. It was the Commander who called and pleaded that we give them three more weeks after the two extensions we had earlier given them.”
The Rector equally described as unfounded the allegation that fees paid by Evening/Weekend Programme students are not remitted to the Federal Government. “Let me make it clear that whether you are a morning or evening student, you must generate a remitta number to pay any fee. And once the remitta is generated, the money being paid goes straight to the Central Bank of Nigeria who automatically takes 25% of the sum and remit to the Federation Account.”
The Polytechnic Chief also maintained that the institution does not get any subvention from the Federal Government as alleged by peddlers of falsehood. According to him, “We do not get subvention from the government contrary to what a certain character has been peddling. Instead, we pay the government 25% of anything we collect. The records are there as our supervisory agents come from time to time to monitor our books. In fact, the non-payment of tuition is why the President signed a new law where students would begin to pay real tuition fees, while the verified indigents would be studying on scholarship in order to repay the scholarship funds after two years of graduation, failure of which the person would be charged to court. There is indeed nowhere that higher education is cheap.”
The Rector further revealed that he had paid the fees of over 50 proven indigent students since he became Rector without actually knowing the identities of the students.
According to him, “I pay those fees through the three chaplaincies in the polytechnic. I do this every year. Since I may not be able to determine the students who may genuinely be indigents, I leave the funds with the chaplains to determine so. Some time ago, I rejected the appeal by chaplains to have the students pay an appreciation visit to me. Now, if any paid agent of the social media is so concerned about the students’ plight, wouldn’t it be okay to start paying the fees of some of them rather than display ignorance in the name of fighting the institution?”
Earlier, the group led by its National President, Comr. Umukoro Marvis Udechukwu, had come to engage the Rector on the recent developments in the institution. In a vote of thanks, the BOT chairman of the group, Comr. Anyaocha Tochi Chibueze, wondered why Chinonso Uba (Nonsonkwa) should be allowed to meddle in the affairs of the polytechnic, promising to release a statement against him and his cohorts.
Principal Officers at the visit included the Deputy Rector (Academic), Mr. C.C. Onyemenonu, Deputy Rector (Administration) Dr. U. F. Ibeaja, Librarian, Dr. C. Obichere, while the Registrar, Mrs. E.C. Anuna and Bursar, Mr. V.N. Anyanwuocha, were represented.
17 June, 2023.
