Cash Cows

MBA students of the School of Business and Computer Studies (SBCS) may have to eat KFC instead of Ruby Tuesday's now. At least, this is what one student says she was told by an administrative staff member concerning the recent increase in tuition fees by the school.

Several students are up in arms about the tuition increase from $8100 to $9500 per module, announced via e-mail on April 24th. The e-mail, which was forwarded to The Eye, informs students that the increase will be staggered over the next two years. It does not provide a reason for the escalation but advises students that, "Completing your MBA should be your main goal, knowing that there will be changes along the way."

Half of tuition costs at SBCS are covered by GATE up to a maximum of $10000 per academic year. In addition to the new tuition costs, students pay:

• $650 per module administrative fee
• $1500 one-time registration fee
• $1500 per module repeat tuition fee as applicable
• $30-$60 to enter the school compound (as of two months ago) each time a student forgets his or her school ID card

Each module also has a £100 exam fee attached to it that is paid directly to Heriot-Watt University. Considering that the MBA programme consists of nine modules for the General MBA and eleven modules for the Specialism MBA, according to the SBCS website, the cost of completing the prestigious degree is high, in spite of GATE assistance.

Yet the change in the price they signed up for, on its own, does not seem to be what students have an issue with (although some say they will have difficulty with coming up with the extra money).

Trisha Leela, an MBA student at SBCS since 2006 says that a justification has not been given for the increase nor were students consulted. In her opinion, the conditions faced by students do not warrant the high fees. "SBCS facilities have been an issue for a while. Parking facilities are not enough. As a female, I have to park in the back streets and there is no security when I am walking to my car when classes finish after 9 p.m. There is no place to study. The cafeteria closes too early and the bathrooms don't even work."

Another student writes, "Where is the justification for an increase in fees? As students we should be involved in such decisions and have a hearing and not get an e-mail stating the fees have been increased. We deserve more than that."

This particular price hike is the latest in the past two years. Last June, for example, it was reported in the media that undergraduate students at the school were upset when a particular course increased from £425 to £1000. Also in the last two years, students say, administrative costs have risen from $150 to $650 per module, and the registration fee went from $500 to $1500.

Students say that they are being treated like "cash cows". Statements like the one made about students having to eat KFC now, they say, reveal an attitude on the part of the school that the MBA students have a lot of money.

Trisha Leela says, however, that, "Many MBA students are working people. A lot of us have taken loans to pay for this." Another student says, "We have finite financial resources that we need to budget every month and with the rapidly increasing cost of living and an inflation rate spiralling out of control we need to prioritise our spending. Education is a priority for us or we would not be pursuing one of the most prestigious designations worldwide."

Private tertiary education institutions such as SBCS have seen increases in their clientele since GATE started covering a portion of tuition fees at such schools. The increase in their costs has happened alongside an increased demand since more students can now access their services.

At least one student thinks that with a larger pool of potential clients, SBCS is showing less concern with meeting the needs of its current students. He describes an incident where he was asked to pay a fee to enter the school compound for a Sunday class because he had forgotten his student ID at home. This is a relatively new school policy. At the same time, he says, he saw the owner of the school who could have identified him. But the owner merely reinforced that he had to pay the fee if he wanted to go to class.

"I told him that considering the high fees that I am already paying, why should I have to pay this fee?" The response he got, he says, was, "Nobody put a gun to your head to pay the high fees."

Students have promised to highlight their situation in the media and to meet with the relevant government ministry. As a last resort, they plan to take their concerns directly to the Edinburgh Business School of Heriot-Watt University, of which SBCS is a local affiliate.

The Eye tried to reach SBCS management for comment on this issue without success. We were told that management would return our call but that has not happened to date. We will keep you posted on any new developments, particularly if the school provides a statement with a justification for the tuition increase.