The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has described as insensitive and inhuman the astronomical increase in school fees in Delta state-owned tertiary institutions.
Omo-Agege’s Campaign Director, Communications and Media Strategy, Mr Ima Niboro, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.
He said that the action of the university authorities was insensitive to the plight of parents and guardians in the face of economic hardship in the country.
Omo-Agege, who is also the Deputy President of the Senate, noted that if elected, his administration to be premised on: “Employment, Empowerment, Development, Good Governance and Enduring peace and security (EDGE)”, would have a human face.
“Some parents are living from hand to mouth, they struggle to send their children to school. Others are living in abject penury because of the refusal of the government to pay pensioners.
“Increasing school fees at this time is not only callous but insensitive, especially when some students are training themselves.
“They have resorted to begging and many who were offered admission failed to report for studies due to inability to pay the exorbitant school fees.
“Without a doubt, public higher institutions in the state are populated by mostly children of low income earners, peasant farmers, petty traders, civil servants and senior citizens yet to receive their gratuities and pensions.
“These institutions are the only hope of educating their children as they cannot cope with the outrageous fees in private higher institutions,” he said.
He, therefore, vowed to review tuition fees in all the state tertiary institutions as one of his first order of duties if elected governor of the state.
