Rivers to regulate fees in private schools

Due to complaints regarding exorbitant tuition fees being charged by some private schools in Rivers State, the state government has concluded plans to wade into the matter.

The state Commissioner for Education, Mr Tamuno-Sisi Jaja, told newsmen yesterday in Port Harcourt, “We assure parents and guardians that the state Ministry of Education will look into the fees being charged by private schools. Parents and guardians are complaining that they are paying high tuition fees. This is worrisome. Looking at what is happening in the system, one will discover that parents pay close to N100,000 per term in secondary schools.”

Meanwhile, some proprietors of private schools have advised the state government to conduct a thorough investigation before pegging tuition fees.

One of them, Mrs Fynface Ibiere, said that high running cost, taxes and learning materials were some of the reasons why some schools charged high fees.

“Proprietors of schools are charging high fees because they put a lot of things together. We are talking about staff salaries, and children’s teaching aids are capital intensive,” Ibiere said.

Also, James Okeh said regulating tuition fees of private and secondary schools could have dire consequences on quality of education in the state.

He said some private schools offered qualitative education in comparison to what was obtainable in some public schools. (NAN)