Parents in Despair over Steep Fee Hike in Ebonyi Varsity

Parents and guardians whose wards are undergoing various academic programmes at the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State have described as outrageous the hike in new fee regime introduced by the institution’s management.

This is as they called on the Federal Government through the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, to urgently intervene and reverse the high fee regime

A document obtained from the Bursary Department and the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jesse Uneke, indicated that the school fee for the Medicine and Surgery has increased by about 42.86% from N1.3m in the 2023/2024 academic session to N1.5m in the new 2025/2026 session.

Similarly, Pharmacy and Nursing Sciences were both jacked up from N730,000 in the 2023/2024 academic session to N1,500,000 in the new 2025/2026 academic session. This represents approximately 43.84% increment.

Parents and guardians who spoke with media in Abakaliki on Monday, expressed disappointment over the sudden increase in school fee despite the economic hardship being experienced in the country.

A business man in state who simply gave his name as Chief Ozor, lamented that he cannot afford to cough out nearly N3m to process the entrance of his two children who gained admission to study Medicine and Surgery and Pharmacy respectively, in the University which is being funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Uzor said, “A lot of parents are grumbling over the school fees for new students because it is a Federal University and not a private university. Even in private universities, the fees are not this outrageous.”

He said although the fees covered their accommodations, it was yet on a very high side and therefore called on the Ministry of Education to intervene

“We are begging the Minister for Education to come and help us bring these high fees down to where other parents like us can afford. I know that there are some who can pay it but it is not right for a new Federal University to pay such a huge amount. I think even UNN which is a premier University still pays around N200, 000 or thereabouts. Or did they build the hostels with gold? I almost didn’t believe it because I thought it was around N1m for both courses”, he lamented.

Also, a retired civil servant whose daughter gained admission to study Medicine and Surgery, Mrs. Roseline decried the development, describing their situation as helpless.

“We are truly helpless because we don’t know what to do now. They have given new fees and people like us who are retirees may not meet up with the new fees unless there’s an intervention”, she lamented.

Mrs. Roseline called on the Federal Ministry of Education to probe such an outrageous fee regime to know who is behind it.

“I have heard that this school is expensive but I didn’t know it would reach up to this because the Federal Government pays all the staff. I am a Federal civil servant retiree and I think I understand how these things work. The government is also doing lots of projects in the University of not all the projects through TETFUND. Where is the money going into then?”, she questioned.

She further reasoned that even if about 3,000 students of the institution pay N1m, it will amount to about N3bn from basic school fees alone adding and those who fail Exams are still meant to pay 50% to enable them resit for the Exams. Imagine that! I don’t know who is behind all these but I want the parent ministry of Education to investigate it so that our children will not be denied what some of them have gained by merit “.

Efforts to reach the school management proved abortive as calls put across to the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mrs Daphine, were not picked nor returned.

She was yet to respond to the message sent to her mobile as of the time of filing this report, on Monday.