Impact of Fuel Subsidy Removal on the Academic Performance of NCE Chemistry Students in Public Colleges Of Education in North-West Nigeria

Abstract

This study surveyed the impact of fuel subsidy removal on the academic performance of NCE Chemistry students in public colleges of education in north-west Nigeria. Two research questions steered the study. The research employed a descriptive survey design. The study population consisted of 1,520 students from ten public colleges of education in north-western Nigeria. The sample comprises 150 NCE III students from three colleges of education in the region. The sampling was conducted using both simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Mean was used for the analysis of the collected data. Discoveries from the research indicates how the removal of fuel subsidy affects the performance of chemistry students in these colleges are very negative, and they include lack of adequate funds to manage the colleges, poor academic outcomes from the students, lack of concentration by the lecturers, low concentration in learning by the students, sexual harassments, untimely death by cohabitation, unwanted pregnancy, cyber fraud, poor pay for lecturers and lack of research funding for lecturers. Furthermore, the study found that ways to mitigate the effect of fuel subsidy removal include increasing lecturers' pay, introducing student loans, making research grants accessible, introducing free education in Nigerian universities, introducing free transportation in universities, introducing free feeding school programs, and flexible car and house loans. The study therefore recommends that the government must put into consideration the consequences of their policies on students before disseminating them, and at such, must roll out palliatives that must cushion the harsh effects of subsidy removal on students in order to avoid a serious social and moral crisis that is imminent.