UNIOSUN Threatens To Expel 4,410 Students Over N2bn Debt

The management of the Osun State University has said that 4,410 students of the institution may be rusticated for owing fees running to over N2bn.

The university, in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Monday, said it was sad that over 4,000 students had yet to pay their fees just two days before the deadline.

The university said it observed that many of the defaulting students had collected the money from their parents and guardians, but they had either “invested” the money in the failed MMM scheme or diverted same to other purposes.

However, it stated that students who failed to meet the deadline and who did not want to be rusticated might apply in writing to the school authorities to grant them leave of absence for the current semester with a sworn affidavit, pledging to make payment before resumption.

The statement reads in part, “Over 4,000 students of Osun State University may lose their studentship for failing to pay their school fees before the expiration of February 28, 2017 deadline set by the university management.

“No fewer than 400 parents/guardians of the defaulting students have called the university help lines to report that they had long given money to their children/wards.

“The university Senate at its meeting of January 26, 2017, after observing that a large number of students had refused to turn up in spite of ceaseless appeals, decided that the students’ portal be reopened longer into the 12th week of resumption against the four weeks stipulated in the university regulations.

“The decision of the university Senate, which was adequately communicated to all the students on February 2, 2017, was to afford more students the opportunity to pay their fees with effect from 17th to 24th February, 2017, a date which was later extended till February 28, 2017.

“On 16 February, 2017, some students embarked on a protest against the enforcement of extant rules and regulations regarding fee payment and registration. Investigations show that over 90 percent of the protesters had not registered for between two and 11 semesters, and were thus using the stipulated late registration penalty of N10, 000 as a smokescreen for their years of defaulting in fee payment and registration.”

 

Source: Punch Newspaper