Last October, Cross River State Governor, Senator Prof. Ben Ayade in his magnanimity announced an indefinite suspension of payment of tuition fees for indigent students of the state-owned Cross River State University of Technology, (CRUTECH).
The directive by the state Governor is to ease the burden on parents and guardians occasioned by the hardship caused by the Coronavirus pandemic which ravaged the 2020 year. This development has generated rancour amongst students as well as guardians whose wards are students of the institution.
For the purpose of clarity, l am putting up this publication to state the facts more elaborate.
Let it be known that the indefinite suspension by His Excellency is still in force, however, that directive only affects “tuition fees’ which is a component of the entire fees and which makes up the bulk sum of the fee schedule of the student across all stratas of learning. The summary of other accompanying charges on the fee payment invoice are not affected.
Management of the University as stated today by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Austine Angba is 100 percent READY to implement the Governor’s directive once the state government and management of the institution is done working out critical modalities which will be used to effect the directive. Once these indices are completed, implementation processes shall begin and the tuition fees shall automatically be subtracted from indigent students dashboards going forward.
Returning students are strongly advised to pay off the 2019/2020 pre #Covid-19, pre #EndSars fees which was already in place where over 60 percent of the students had paid while the management of the institution goes about a mathematical workout for the tuition free directive from the Governor beginning from the 2020/21 academic session. For sake of emphasis, the “no fees, no exams” directive issued by the University is based on the previous fees owed before the Governor’s directive.
For further clarifications, I have attached a sample of the students’ fee payment invoice, the part circled in red is the tuition the governor’s pronouncement referred to. Other charges must be paid in full pending further directives from the state authorities to the institution.
I pray this puts to rest the much debated argument.
©Eugene Upah is the Snr. Special Assistant on Public Communications to Cross River Governor Ben Ayade. info@eugene-ssapc.com.ng
