I have been keenly interested in recent times particularly regarding studies on students’ behaviours and their school fees. My interest is usually sparked by students who have access to their school fees given to them by their parents/sponsors and how the fees turned out to be utilized off its original purpose.
I have been with students (customers) who used their fees to bet, trade, invest, sow seeds and even embezzled to the last dime. Perhaps, all these experiences led to my establishment of Emerald MPCS. I have the firm belief that if these fees are taken away from the students, occurrences of squandering fees would be minimized if not eradicated.
But then the question comes around; should your fees be used for investment? The answer to this question may be hard to answer if we do not specify the type of investment and expenses. Let’s take a view of a wider range of expenses that the fees are used for:
1. Money doubling enterprises
A student may actually feel the need to invest his fees in money doubling enterprises. The need often comes if the student is struggling with financial challenges. However, a larger proportion of students investing their fees in money doubling scheme have had their testimonies handy.
From MMM till recent cooperative activities, the stories have remained the same. Painfully, many students won’t heed warning until they are scammed of their fees and left empty handed. Without much ado, let it be stated that your fees should not be used for money doubling scheme especially when your sponsor is not aware.
http://www.agbosblog.com.ng/2017/01/revealed-many-students-invested-their.html
2. Betting
In the bid to make money to cater for their academic needs, many students have engaged in betting as a means to find a way out. If we have to dedicate a session of this material in discussing the number of betting activities done with the school fees, this publication would turn to a book.
Students should understand that anything investment/gambling that have a colouration of uncertainty should have no connection with the school fees – find another source to bet. Unless otherwise, such payments is directly and trustworthily connected to the reception of an/a amount/fee. Betting is pure gambling and using your school fees for betting is pure evil against your parents/sponsors who are working hard to see you through school.
3. Seed Sowing
Can religion be actually evil? Never must this be true! But it battles me the level of cunning that has been crafted amongst religious bodies to get the fees out of students under the guise of sowing seed. In the past, I have encountered students who used their rents and school fees to sow seed and left to suffer. Of course such seed sowing was not to God but for fraudsters and no one should hold God accountable for their naivety and consequent predicament.
The above argument should not be seen as an attack on religion and its practices as giving is a good thing. A giving from the heart is indeed good. But a school fees used for seed must have been a compelling giving. Such student must have been convinced to receive more if he parts with his fees/rents.
What else could have made a struggling student to use his/her fees if not under the brainwashing of receiving more from a God who will open a floodgate and bring unaccounted blessings?
As religious cunningness continue to grow to deceive our wards into their nets and commits acts of deception against their sponsors and parents; educators, tutors, guardian and counsellors must increase their contribution to academics by providing more timely information that counters the notion of using school fees for seed sowing by religious bodies around campus.
Our students must be assured that whence they graduate and start working, God is willing to accept their seeds wholeheartedly and not a forced seed sowing. Ask the striving pastor who is struggling to feed if you should inform your parent before you use the fees to sow the seed and wait for a reply.
Then if your parents shouldn’t be aware, is that not a total scam? I took it upon myself to write this ahead before you do anything and make yourself a self inflicted and voluntary victim of religious scam (please note that sowing a seed from your pocket is not a bad thing but persuading you to use your school fees to sow seed and expect more is a total scam and a crime against the sponsor when he/she is least aware of it).
Our wards must be reminded that God wants their interest and that as they sail through the difficulty of schooling, God is always beside them and seed or no seed, the love of God remains with all who continue to abide by him.
I have found this issue particularly interesting because these fraud unlike general school fees scam go unattended while the victims suffer in silence.
There is no good attached to using fees to sow seed. Any favourable future events that must have happened must have occurred on its own by sheer dint of happenstance and not consequent upon your seed sowing. So keep your testimonies intended to attract the naïve to yourselves.
I believe in miracles nonetheless. One of our A & U Ng N100,000 school fees promo winner actually won days after an uncle wanted to sleep with her to give her the school fees in a hotel. She refused and reported to the father. Days later, she received a call from my office that she has won N100,000. Both herself, the father and even the A & U Ng Smart Team were amazed. These are pure miracles that forced us to have pure and untainted faith in God and not a forced faith. We really have to be properly guided.
4. Embezzlement
How laud can I sound this warning? I feel like we are not doing enough in telling our wards the need to be prudent especially when it comes to the school fees management. As a student, you cannot use a dime from your fees to buy textbooks, feed, buy medication, etc. without your sponsor’s awareness. If you must touch the fees for reasons justified, your sponsor must be aware. He/she wears the shoes – they knows where it pains.
The reason for the above is that immediately you touch the fees and remove N1,000, it keeps on going down because you keep on coming back and using from it. So the best thing is to pay it immediately or keep it somewhere safe if it is yet to be completed.
In fact, I have made it possible through Emerald Students’ MPCS so that parents can deal with the cooperative directly and not allow their wards to see school fees. The school fee comes directly to us and they have to see only school fees receipt.
Again, if you are a student on self sponsorship managing yourself and saving your fees, then you can save the fees in instalments with Emerald MPCS instead of keeping it in your account and re-using it.
Do all you can to keep your school fees out of your control and pay off immediately to avoid issues.
Conclusion
To me, investing school fees is a no go area. It should not happen. This is because we cannot tell your level of understanding in the investment so sought for. Unless otherwise there is a fairer percentage of assurance, it should not be done.
I have seen students fallen for school fees scam and the sight is not good at all. I have no choice but to keep on writing as a better way of protecting you from falling into any possible scam. Please, protect your fees.
Suggestions
Based on past experiences, I hereby suggest as follows:
- Money doubling scheme do not last. Run away from them. Only the first timers benefit and their testimonies are used to get you. If you are not a first timer, you are as good as done. First timer or not, stay away from them.
- Betting has been known to be a pure gamble. It is unthinkable that you are planning to use your fees to bet.
- God does not lay more burden on us. We have school fees to pay already, God who is acclaimed to be loving wouldn’t place more burden on us. He takes no delight in adding extra burden on you. Stay away from sowing seeds with your school fees. It is total scam and does not have anything to do with God and it brings no blessing. I give you the highest assurance that God loves you and when you graduate, you will have houses, cars, millions to sow seeds but surely not the school fees.
- Keep away your fees from yourself. If it is under your control, you will soon use it. Open an Emerald account and save it there until you complete it. Or you can prefer to take a school fees loan to pay quickly and repay in monthly instalments.
The Author
Julius Michael Oghenenyoreme
Publisher, A & U Ng
Chairman, Emerald Students MPCS
+2348060699054