CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Fees payments by students in Federal Polytechnic Nekede are made through cash deposits, to the Polytechnic’s accounts in specific bank branches. Plymouth and Martin (2009) stress that “For nearly every business, the simple act of collecting payments from consumers is actually quite complex. Organizations want to make it easy and convenient for customers to pay, so they offer multiple choices of payment types and channels”. Therefore, the project provides an alternative method that enables secure online fees payment by students and/or their sponsors.
1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Federal Polytechnic Nekede has a large number of students who are supposed to pay all the polytechnic fees through cash deposits to the polytechnic’s accounts in specific bank branches. This method of paying fees has not been efficient enough especially during periods of tests and examinations when most of the students are paying fees to meet the requirements for entering examination rooms. The process of fees payment in such periods is characterized by long queues, too much waiting by students and congestion at banks where payments are made. Students queue to pay fees and those who do not reach counters within the bank’s working hours are advised to return the next day. This process has always resulted in students missing their lectures, tests and/or examinations while they are queuing to make payments in banks. It has also resulted to too much costs and a lot of time used in transferring and withdrawing money whenever sponsors of students make money transfers to students who can pay its fees at specific bank branches. The process requires sponsors of students from wherever they are to send money to students through either bank, mobile money or any other possible way(s) so that students can pay the polytechnic fees. This consumes time and sponsors incur extra costs in this process of sending money to students. Now, the method of paying for school fees is quite tasking and time consuming. First, one has to generate invoice before making a cash deposit at designated bank branches. The invoice generation for school fees payment is a fine development however, it has require students visiting the School Portal to rectify issues associated with invoice generation. Sometimes the complete details of the invoice generated do not appear after generation. It was upon this background that the researcher suggested an alternative method which enables secure online fees payment by students and/or their sponsors. This payment method will enable students to pay their school fees in the comfort of their homes without stress.
