Students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, are currently in battle with the authorities of their school over what they termed the compulsory laptop fee allegedly imposed on new students by the management of the school.
The students said the fee was high and that it would deny many of the freshmen the opportunity of studying in the varsity.
The PUNCH learnt that the institution collected N25, 000 as acceptance fee and N60, 000 as school fees from the new intakes, while N10,000 and N11, 000 were respectively demanded for accommodation in the male and female hostels.
With the addition of N70, 000 as laptop fee, the students are mandated to pay between a total of N165,000 and N171,000.
Both new and old students of the varsity have taken their anger to the social media, accusing the school management of insensitivity. They also accused the Students Union Government of complicity in the matter because they alleged the SUG had refused to speak in defence of the students.
A female student, Chinwe, said on her Facebook wall that her family could not afford the fee.
She wrote, “I am so confused right now. My family can’t afford that laptop for now, whereas we have Window 7 HP laptop at home. UNN is a federal school, not a state or private university for God’s sake. The school fee is expensive unlike UNILAG, UNIBEN, UNILORIN, OAU and other federal universities in the South West that are very cheap. Yet, UNN is forcing laptop on students; this is injustice!”
Another student, who identified himself as Ogwu, said the laptop fee should not be made compulsory.
“But come to think of it, what is the relevance of this fake laptop to an agricultural student? So it must not be compulsory,” he said.
A former student of the school, who hosts a Facebook page, UNN Voice Via Rymzo, wrote an open letter to the management of the institution, asking it to rescind the decision.
Rymzo, in an address to the Vice Chancellor of the school and the SUG, questioned the rationale for the imposed laptop fee.
He said, “These poor freshmen you have asked to pay for laptop before they do their clearance or apply for hostel, if you were a poor man and such a thing was done to you, would you be happy? Did you tell them about this before they chose UNN?
The Public Relations Officer of the school, Okwun Omeaku, when contacted on the telephone, said he was driving and might not be able to react to the story.
“I am driving and will still be on the express for the next two hours and cannot react now,” he said. (The Punch)
