‘ASUU strike, competitive fees force Nigerian students to study abroad’

A professional in education travels, Williams Kehinde, has said that incessant strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and competitive tuition fees are the major reasons parents go all out to have their wards study abroad.

According to the study travel expert, who is also the Founder of Rexghan Williams Consult, an indigenous travel firm, the main reason Nigerian students were leaving to study abroad was because of ASUU strike.

“From experience in the field, a number of parents can’t afford the delay and time wastage as this automatically affects their children’s future. Another major reason is the competitive university tuition.  For instance, North Cyprus universities tuition fees are competing with that of Nigerian universities. As a matter of fact, some tuition fees in private universities in Nigeria are higher than that of North Cyprus so parents feel the need to have their wards change environment since there is no difference in the fees. This is why we have quite a number of our students studying abroad as they get to have steady, quality and affordable education overseas.

“We process students to study abroad specifically to the United Kingdom and Northern Cyprus. We help them attain scholarship abroad as it makes education affordable for parents while the students are also exposed to quality education. However, the major challenge we encounter is having Nigerian students traveling with an ingenuine certificate.”

Kehinde noted that people are not supposed to lie to their travel consultant, warning that it could be detrimental.

He added: “It is wrong to bring forged documents to a travel consultant either certificate, age reduction or a doctored CV claiming to have work experience. Schools especially in the UK always reach out to the HR Department of the companies to ask for the staff Identity and once that can’t be ascertained they decline the students. Then they come to complain to agents. Also some people travel abroad in the pretense of studies without showing up in the classroom, which makes licence agents seem fraudulent. This is why we ensure to go to schools to recruit genuine students who are really out to study. Aside from getting them their study visa, we secure their flight, get them accommodation in their destination country and sort out their residence permit.”

On the criteria that qualify students to study abroad, Kehinde said: “It is their legal documents, their transcripts, degree certificate, international passport and reference letter. These are the four major documents. As a licensed agent, the schools issue you a certificate of authorisation or representation. This certificate is what makes it possible for us to get direct admission for students to study in the schools where we are licensed.”

He, however, advised Nigerian students who want to study abroad to take caution.

“When they get to foreign countries there are rules and regulations and they should not flout these rules. More often than not, when Nigerians complain of being mistreated it is mostly as a result of their misbehaviour or crimes committed. However, we make a conscious effort to protect our students through the presidents of the Nigerian community in these countries.

“For instance, in Cyprus, there is a Nigerian community in Northern Cyprus that oversees the affairs of Nigerians, which also includes students. So, should there be any form of trouble this organisation intervenes,” he said.