The Deputy President of the Senate and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has described as insensitive, inhuman and callous the astronomical increase in school fees in Delta state-owned tertiary institutions.
This is even as he promised to instantly review the tuition fees in public tertiary institutions in the state upon assumption of office as governor.
Omo-Agege gave the assurance on Thursday in a statement issued by Director, Communications and Media Strategy, Ovie Omo-Agege Campaign Organisation, Mr. Ima Niboro.
The action of the university authorities, he stressed, is insensitive to the plight of parents and guardians in the face of economic hardship.
He noted that his administration which is premised on “Employment and 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 Governor Ifeanyi Okowa 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.
The APC governorship candidate therefore vowed to review tuition fees in all the state tertiary institutions as one of his first order of duties after he is sworn in as the elected governor of the state.
