YabaTech bans debtors from taking lectures
Yaba College of Technology (YabaTech) students will now receive lectures only after paying their school fees, the school management has said.
A memo to that effect has been displayed at relevant spots on the school’s campus in Yaba, Lagos.
Academic institutions are known to bar students who owe school fees from writing exams. Banning them from receiving lectures, although not new, is rare.
YabaTech said its no-fee-no-lecture policy will apply to only part-time (PT) students.
We understand returning PT students pay between N60,000 and N75,000 in tuition and other fees. New students pay an estimated N100,000. PT fees are a major source of income for the school.
“YabaTech is broke,” an insider told Newsroom on Thursday. “That’s why they are taking these measures.”
“I don’t know if it’s caused by the federal government’s single account policy or if it’s as a result of financial mismanagement by the school authorities.
“As we speak, lecturers are being owed and departments don’t even have money to make photocopies.
“Lecturers now task students to raise money before tests are administered. It is that bad.
“The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics, Yabatech Chapter, began a strike today. They are being owed allowances.
“The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) went on strike for the same reason weeks ago.
“All allowances due to lecturers as it concerns the part time programme have not been paid and the school is yet to say why.
“YabaTech is a serial debtor. Usually lecturers prevent part time examinations from holding until the allowances are paid.
“This time, the management was given a benefit of doubt because there was a reshuffle recently when the deputy rectors were replaced,” our source said.
A YabaTech PT student who doesn’t want to be named said the school cannot effect the new model from March 20.
“We don’t even know how much we’ll pay for the new session,” the student said.
“We will know that about one week after resumption. Then the school will set a deadline for payment and threaten us that payment portal will close.
“It seems they want to use receipts of payment, not portal, this time. Whichever is the case, the management cannot begin enforcing this new rule on March 20,” he said.
