Nigerians have continued to register their displeasure with the government of the United Kingdom following its decision to raise the price of the IELTS examination from around N80,000 to N107,500, News About Nigeria reports.
Announcing the development on Thursday, the British Council detailed that Nigerians would now have to pay the new fee from September 2023.
The test which initially cost about N80,000 is a requirement for foreigners looking to relocate to the United Kingdom either for employment or educational purposes.
The council explained that the latest increase was necessary to maintain the standard of the testing experience.
“Dear valued Test Taker, We would like to inform you that effective from 1 September 2023, there will be a price increase for IELTS tests offered by the British Council. The new prices will be NGN 107,500 for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, NGN 116.000 for UK Visas and Immigration and NGN 104,000 for Life Skills,” the statement read.
However reacting to the development, former presidential spokesperson Reno Omokri called on the Nigerian government to intervene in the planned increase lamenting that the latest fee was three times the country’s current minimum wage.
“I appeal to the Nigerian government to intervene in the planned increase of fees for the IELTS exam for Nigerians seeking to study in The UK to ₦107,500, an amount which is three times the current Nigerian minimum wage. First, it is already an insult to ask Nigerian university graduates, whose degrees were taught in English, in a supposedly English-speaking country. And secondly, it is adding salt to that injury to now increase the fees for the exam when it should even be scrapped. What is the benefit of the commonwealth where there is no respect for pit common language?” Omokri wrote.
On his part, @OkoughaHumphre1 suggested that the examination be totally scrapped.
Also reacting to the development, @Sireofficial1 also called for the scrap of the IELTS examination saying that it is an advocacy every Nigerian must join.
