I like to register my opinion on the recent increase in fees payable by students of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism.
It is a known fact that one of the reasons why many people angle for professional knowledge is to improve their well being as well as enhance their competence and prospects in the employment market.

The same thing is supposedly true of many students who enrol with NIJ to further their knowledge particularly in the area of journalism and allied discipline. But the lofty aspiration of most of these students is now being threatened by the recent arbitrary increase in fees slammed on the students by the school authority.

Hitherto, the students were paying N85,000 for full time programmes while the part time students paid N55,000. Suprisingly, the fee has now been hiked to N104,000 for full time students and N76,000 for part time students representing about 45% increase.

To worsen the situation, the school authorities, did not deem it neccessary to give the student who by all standard are also key stakeholders the opportunity of insight or dialogue prior to the introduction of the new fees. One would imagine that the new fees would cut short the aspiration of many of the students who undertake self sponsorship of the programme.

The students are hereby advocating a reversal of the fees by the authority as this action will project the institution in good light and further project its emerging favorable image.

Femi Samuel
Ogba, Lagos