By Hajaratu Kalokoh
The administration of Fourah Bay College (FBC) has denied allegations that it has increased tuition fees. In a press statement on Monday, the college authorities said increase in payment was done just on extra charges and not the tuition fees.
The statement comes following a protest staged by students last week Thursday, in which they also complained the delay in reopening of the student hostels, classroom shortage and transportation constraints.
The students’ concerns had already been published in a report that was released by the Students Union body in January.
Tonya Musa, Director of Media and International Relations, University of Sierra Leone (USL), wrote in the press statement:
“He (Vice Chancellor) told them (Student Union Government) about the importance of the other charges. He thereafter asked them to write all their concerns and suggestions for the administration and management to have further consideration and negotiation with the student’s union executive.’’
“He clarified that there had been no increase in tuition fees since 2014 to date,” the statement stressed.
FBC is one of the three constituent colleges of the USL.
Last year, students of another constituent college, the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), raised similar concerns regarding fee increment due to the high cost of extra charges.
Some of the extra charges include: Student Union capitation Le25, 000, Library - Le 75, 000, medical Le200, 000, ICT Le300, 000, and examination Le300, 000.
The extra charges sum up to Le 900,000.
Despite the breakdown, the total fee addition is more than Le 900,000.
A second-year student at Social Work Department in the college, Aminata Posuwa, said she paid Le2, 500, 000 last year but that this year she had been charged Le3, 700, 000 in total, an increase of Le 1, 200, 000.
“The fees were automatically increased, and it is almost twice the actual fee, which is unfair. There are inadequate facilities like poor sitting accommodation, no spacious classroom at the social work department. If these facilities were improved, the increment should have been justifiable,” she told Politico.
Agustine Bona, Students Union President, explained to Politico on Monday that they had discussed the issues with the college administration.
“We had an engagement with the administration of FBC after the press conference with students and we actually tabled the same concern. They told us that when it comes to issues of the fees, it is a collective work of the USL (which is not limited to just a constituent college),” he explained.
Bona went on to say: “On Friday last week, we met with the office of the Vice Chancellor at IPAM. We discussed what should be done in other to remedy the concerns of students and he advised us to do our recommendation in writing. We are currently working on it and it shall be handed over to them within 30 minute.”
The college and the student representatives have confirmed that negotiation on the different issues is already ongoing. With the academic year in progress, there is no guarantee that the college administration could reach an agreement with the students before the end of the first semester, which is in March.
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