By Emmanuella Opara | October 27th 2026
KEY POINTS
- The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to increase funding for public tertiary institutions and seek a suspension of proposed school fee increases.
- Lawmakers warned that fee hikes, some reportedly exceeding 100 per cent, could undermine access to higher education and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund scheme.
- The House called on the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission to engage institutions on reviewing their tuition structures.
- Three House committees were mandated to investigate the extent and justification for the increases.
MAIN STORY
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to increase funding for public tertiary institutions and urge them to suspend proposed school fee increases amid concerns that rising education costs could restrict access to higher education.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Ifeoluwa Ehindero, representing Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency of Ondo State, during Tuesday’s plenary.
The motion, titled “Need to halt the recent increase in school fees by public tertiary institutions and its impact on Nigerian Education Loan Fund”, focused on the implications of higher tuition charges for students and the sustainability of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND.
Ehindero, who chairs the House Committee on NELFUND, argued that the loan scheme was designed around existing tuition benchmarks and institutional cost measures. He warned that sudden increases could weaken the programme’s ability to support students who need financial assistance.
“Arbitrary or sudden hikes in fees by institutions will undermine the sustainability, equity and effectiveness of the loan programme,” he said.
The lawmaker said several public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education had recently increased school fees and other mandatory charges, with some increases reportedly exceeding 100 per cent.
He said the increases had been implemented without broad consultation or adequate consideration of the economic difficulties facing Nigerian families.
The House expressed concern that continued increases could widen inequalities in access to education, particularly for students from lower-income households, while placing additional pressure on the loan scheme.
“We are worried that if allowed to continue unchecked, these fee increments may create significant disparities in the allocation of education loans, crowd out students from less affluent backgrounds and frustrate the objectives of NELFUND in bridging access to higher education,” the motion stated.
Ehindero also warned that rising tuition and other compulsory charges could force students to abandon their studies and contribute to unrest on campuses.
He said the trend “may lead to increased student dropouts, campus unrest and overall loss of public confidence in Government’s commitment to affordable education.”
Following the adoption of the motion, lawmakers urged the Federal Government to consider increasing financial subventions to public tertiary institutions to reduce their reliance on revenue generated through student charges.
The House also called on the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission to engage the management of affected institutions and encourage a suspension of fee increases while tuition structures are reviewed in line with prevailing economic conditions.
In addition, the House mandated its Committees on University Education, Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, and Federal Colleges of Education to investigate the scale of the increases and assess their justification.
The proposed investigation is expected to examine the reasons for the new charges and whether they are justified, while considering the need to keep tertiary education accessible to students from low-income households.
THE ISSUES
The lawmakers’ intervention centres on the tension between the funding needs of public tertiary institutions and the ability of students and their families to meet rising education costs.
The House argued that increased government funding could reduce institutions’ dependence on fees and other charges imposed on students. It also warned that steep increases could undermine NELFUND’s objective of widening access to higher education if loan support does not adequately reflect the costs students face.
However, the motion did not establish the full scale of the increases across institutions or identify the specific schools whose charges had risen by more than 100 per cent. The committees’ investigation is expected to examine the extent of the increases and the reasons behind them.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“Arbitrary or sudden hikes in fees by institutions will undermine the sustainability, equity and effectiveness of the loan programme,” Ifeoluwa Ehindero, Chairman of the House Committee on NELFUND, said.
WHAT’S NEXT
The House committees on University Education, Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, and Federal Colleges of Education are expected to investigate the increases and assess their justification.
The Federal Ministry of Education and the NUC have also been urged to engage institutional managements on suspending the increases and reviewing tuition structures. The source did not specify a deadline for the investigations or confirm whether the institutions would comply with the proposed suspension.
BOTTOM LINE
The House of Representatives wants the Federal Government to increase funding for public tertiary institutions and push for a halt to school fee increases. The proposed reviews will examine whether the charges are justified and how higher education can remain accessible to students facing financial difficulties.
