NIJ TUITION FEE NEW POLICY HAZARDS

 The Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos State, Nigeria has enacted a new law that will be in effect by February 3, 2014. The law which stipulates that any students who has or did not meet up his/her school fees payment before the deadline given will not be allowed into the school premises even before the first semester examination of the 2013/2014 academic session.

The law which was suppose to have been in motion since the school resumption from Christmas and New Year break respectively did not take effect because the Class Governors (Class Representative) of the most affected class which was National Diploma II students because they didn't resume with other level students of the institution due to their four months internship training and other Class Governors in all the remaining levels in the school held a meeting with the school authority which now then gives the students more time of about three weeks before February 3, 2014.

"It actually sound stupid because its only in Primary and Secondary schools you see that students are not allowed to come into the school becuase of payment but in an institution, it ought not to be so. The students will only be restricted from writing the exam and not coming into the school" a student of the institution, Komolafe Olajumoke declares.

Another interactive session with the Provost of the institute, Dr Mrs. Elizabeth Ikem which was held at the school auditorium after which the school have been seeing some signs that the students might protest or riot and damage things in the school premises and especially because there was an "article" written which was directed to the provost detailing that the provost is being embezzling and mismanaging the school funds by an anonymous individual and posted almost everywhere on the campus.

"Let me quickly remind you that NIJ is a fee paying school and I can vividly tell you that because we conduct an interview with you on who and how to pay your school fees" the provost said.
"If there is anybody writing rubbish without facts that the provost is not doing well and that she is embezzling and mismanaging the school funds, the person is only deceiving him/herself" she explains with facts which now turn the "article" to be a false.
"We are not raising you to be terrorist" she concluded.

The following week also was another interactive session with the Chairman Governing Council of the institute, Mallam Ismaila Isah, who came and addressed and also back the provost against the allegations that were written in the "article" and that the students should not go wild but maintain peace and order within and outside the school compound as he give the students an ultimatum of a week to the examination date for them to pay up their bills.
"Allow the students to come to school and give them till a week to their examination week" Isah said.

However, all fingers are not equal they say which is as a result that leads to some students being affected by not writing 2-3 papers.

In an interview with a student, Familugba Victor said "Its unethical and bad, we all know the situation of our country (Nigeria), aside all fingers are not equal. Locking the students outside the gate will not provide the fees. The action may even lead to a riot, whereby the students who know what they're losing to the consequence of the management action might decide to fight for themselves" Victor concluded.

"The management policy is okay and good because the school is not being helped by the government and also they don't go on strike, therefore the school needs money to pay the lectureres and maintain the school" Ojebola Matthew Opeoluwa, a Higher National Diploma II student of the institution says.

Grillo Oluwabusayomi, one of the affected students shared her experience in an interview "It was an unworhty experience as not only did I miss a major broadcast presentation which was supposed to be my test"
"I also missed out on the days of lecture which is not really good for me as a student considering I learn more by just listening to the lecture explain in class" Busayo laments.

However, the institution should know that "The firewood of this world is not good for anybody, which is why not all can gather it" and "It is not everybody that sits in the row with the eminent".