UK Versity: Dismissed Nigeria Students Offered Flight Assistance – Details.
Information reached thenewskingdom have it that Teesside University in the United Kingdom has announced a new initiative to support Nigerian students facing severe financial difficulties by funding their flights home, as reported by BBC on Tuesday.
According to the report, this move came after several students were removed from their courses and ordered to leave the UK due to their inability to pay tuition fees.
The economic downturn in Nigeria, worsened by UK shift from seven-installment to a three-installment payment plan by the university, left many students struggling to cover their expenses.
Meanwhile, a local food charity has reported that 75 % of its clients are now Nigerian students, highlighting the extent of their financial hardship.
It should be recalled that on 22nd May, 2024, a group of Nigerian students at Teesside University were dismissed from their courses and instructed to leave the United Kingdom due to their inability to pay tuition fees as earlier scheduled.
According to the affected students, they cited the devaluation of naira as a significant barrier to meet up with their financial obligations, which has led to a breach of their visa sponsorship requirements.
Lots of the students were reportedly found themselves locked out of their university accounts, reported to the Home Office, and mandated to leave the UK.
The university insisted that strict external regulations necessitate these actions.
All the affected students, totalling 60, expressed deep distress and disappointment, accusing the university of being unsupportive and “heartless.”
They banded together to urge the university for assistance after witnessing their peers face severe consequences for late payments.
On 29th of May, 2024, the Federal Government of Nigeria stepped in to address the deportation orders issued against some Nigerian students at Teesside University.
However, a delegation led by a representative of the Nigerian Embassy in the UK, Ambassador Christian Okeke, along with leaders of the Nigerian Students Union in the UK, met with the University’s management to seek a resolution.
It was also confirmed that after protests and the intervention of the Nigerian government, th university was reportedly re-enrolled some affected students and opened a relief fund.
“We are working with a small group who need to return to their home country and are opening an international relief fund to offer additional financial support for these unexpected travel costs,” a university spokesperson told the BBC.
Additionally, the university has offered some affected students the option to complete their studies remotely from Nigeria or to return to the UK at a later date.
Some students were said to have lodged legal appeals.
