Osun State House of Assembly on Monday directed the Ministry of Health to suspend the proposed increment in tuition fees of state-owned schools of nursing, health technology and midwifery.
Mr Kamil Oyedele, the Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, gave the directive in Osogbo when the management of the ministry appeared before the committee for the defence of its 2016 appropriation bill.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Temitope Oladele, in her defence had told the committee that one of the ways the ministry could boost its revenue generation for the year was by increasing its tuition fees.
According to Oladele, the proposed new fees for students of school of nursing who are indigenes of Osun will be increased from N20,000 to N35,000 while that of non-indigenes will be increased from N25,000 to N45,000.
He said the proposed fees for the School of Health Technology was to be increased from N10,000 to N25,000 for indigenes while that of non-indigenes would be increased from N15,000 to N40,000.
Oladele said that for the School of Midwifery, the proposed increment for indigenes was from N20,000 to N45,000 while non-indigenes would pay N55,000 as against N25,000.
“There is also a proposed increment in rents on hostel accommodation, amount charged on sales of admission forms, among others in the schools,’’ he said.
Reacting, Mr Kamil Oyedele, the chairman of the house committe said that Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun had promised not to increase tuition fees in tertiary institutions in the state.
Therefore, the increment by the ministry could not be justified, he said.
Oyedele said that the members of the assembly would deliberate on the proposed fees as well as consult with the governor.
He promised to convey the outcome of the assembly’s deliberations to the ministry.
