Nigerian students studying at Teesside University, United Kingdom, have been ordered to leave the country over inability to pay their outstanding tuition.
The affected students were prohibited from enrolling for university courses and ordered to leave the country after a currency crisis crippled their ability to pay tuition fees on time.
The students were prevented from furthering their studies and reported to the Home Office after the value of Nigeria’s naira depreciated and wiped out their savings.
A spokesperson of the university said failure to pay tuition was a breach of visa sponsorship requirements, and that the university had “no choice” but to alert the Home Office. The Home Office said decisions about visa sponsorship rested with the institution.
Nigeria is presentl encountering its worst economic crisis in a generation, which is having its toll on Nigerian students at some UK universities.
On the average, the inflation rate is around 34% and the Naira has drastically fallen in value over the last few months after its was floated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Before commencing their studies at Teesside, affected students were informed they had to show proof of having enough funds to pay tuition fees and living expenses.
Those funds were greatly depleted as a result of the crisis in their home country.
Also, tuition fee payment plans were changed from seven instalments to three, worsening the financial problems of these foreign students.
A group of students, 60 of whom revealed their names with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), started pressing the university for support after many people who defaulted on payments were logged out of university accounts and involuntarily withdrawn from their courses.
Also, some were reportedly contacted by debt collection agencies contracted by the university.
Adenike Ibrahim, one of the affected Nigerian students, was about to submit her dissertation at the end of two years of study when she defaulted on one payment. She was blocked from her course and reported to the Home Office.
She later paid the outstanding fees but she said she had not been re-enrolled and was told she must exit the country alongside her young son.
She said: “I did default [on payments], but I’d already paid 90% of my tuition fees and I went to all of my classes.
“I called them and asked to reach an agreement, but they do not care what happens to their students.
“It has been heartbreaking for my son especially, he has been in so much distress since I told him,” Ibrahim added.
In a letter, the Home Office told the affected students that their permission to enter the UK had been cancelled because they stopped being students of the university.
The letters offer a date by which the student must leave the country.
Also, the letters revealed the students do not have a “right of appeal or administrative review against the decision”.
The university said it had taken steps to help the affected students, who had now been offered individual meetings with specialist staff and bespoke payment plans where demanded.
A university spokesman said: “Teesside University is proud to be a global institution with a diverse student population but is also very aware of its obligations regarding visa issuance and compliance.
“These strict external regulations ensure that the university fully supports a robust immigration system and is outside of the university’s control.”
The spokesperson added it was “aware of the challenging financial situation faced by some students” and had “actively offered bespoke payment plans where requested”.
He said: “This option has been taken up by many of our international students; however, some students have still defaulted on these revised payment plans.”