IELTS is now N107, 500 for Nigerians from next month, September, 2023, the British Council has said.
This means that Nigerians seeking admission as well as trying to emigrate to the UK, Canada and other countries requiring IELTS as English proficiency test will have to pay more for the English test.
A statement by the British council on Thursday states that the increment in the IELTS fee was to maintain the standard of the testing experience.
The initial cost of the exam in Nigeria was N80,000 and in some places, N90, 000.
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However, following the recent subsidy removal on petrol in Nigeria which spiked prices of almost everything in Nigeria, the increase in the IELTS fee by the British Council is coming as a further compounding of the economic hardship that Nigerians are currently facing in the country.
The British Council’s statement on IELTS fee hike reads thus:
“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.”
It added, “The new prices are necessary to sustain the high-quality of standards for your testing experience.”
“Thank you for choosing the British Council,” a terse message on the council.”
Nigerians Groan, Call For Reduction, Government Intervention:
Meanwhile, majority of Nigerians have taken to various media to voice their disappointments over the development as well as call on the government for intervention.
Foremost among them is the former aide to Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Pastor Reno Omokri.
In a tweet, Pastor Omokri appealed to the Nigerian Government to intervene.
He said thus:
“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?”
Below are other tweets from Nigerians on the new IELTS fee hike:
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