Public students face extra fees in Côte d’Ivoire

Increasing numbers of students are complaining that private higher education institutions to which they have been assigned are charging excessive fees, in contravention of a government order.

With more and more young people qualifying for higher education, public universities have run out of places so private institutions have taken up the surplus, reported Fraternité Matin of Abidjan.

“Since its independence, Côte d’Ivoire, which has made its ambition to have at its disposal human resources of quality, capable of responding efficiently to the needs of the economy in all domains, has directed all its school-leavers qualified with the baccalauréat to higher education institutions, and taken charge of the costs,” Abroh Antoine Assoumou, director of examinations and academic guidance at the ministry of higher education and scientific research, told Fraternité Matin.

“But given the impossibility of catering for all [those qualified] in public higher education institutions, and the political will not to leave any holder of the baccalauréat without the opportunity to pursue their studies, the state, through the ministry of higher education and scientific research, has granted some of its rights to the private higher education sector, while making sure that it will perform well.”

But it had been observed that private institutions did not all charge the same fees, in spite of a ministerial order harmonising their charges at XOF85,000 (US$150) per student which the state would pay, said Assoumou.

Further meetings were taking place with all interested parties, and an agreement was reached in December concerning the conditions of allocation of students to private institutions, said Assoumou.

He said the private institutions would not face penalties for making extra charges, but would have to choose whether to accept the ministry’s conditions, and those who did not would be excluded from the arrangement. If students were required to pay supplementary fees, they would be reassigned to places elsewhere. – Compiled by Jane Marshall

This article is drawn from local media. University World News cannot vouch for the accuracy of the original reports.