Parents protest over school fees
Parents of students of the Federal Government College, Ilorin, yesterday staged a peaceful protest over school fee hike.
Some of the unity colleges on Sunday turned away students who were unable to pay complete fees.
Our correspondent in llorin reports that the protest which lasted many hours took place near the school along Okoolowo road in Ilorin.
The parents who came from various parts of the country carried placards reading, “Making payment N12,000 for textbooks must be abolished,” “Payment of insurance fee is illegal,” “Payment of N15,000 by returning students to SS1 for uniform is illegal,” among others.
Many students were unable to return to school due to inability of their parents to pay the fees, one parent said.
Also, Imam Abdulhamid Eleshinla said making purchase of textbooks at the rate of N12,000 compulsory for each student irrespective of whether they needed them or not was another source of concern to parents.
Efforts to speak with the principal of the school, Mrs. Rita Okpaleke failed as she refused to comment.
At the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC) Orozo, Abuja, argument ensued between parents and officials over the distribution of textbooks to the students. One parent said he paid but that his child was not given complete books after payment in the previous session.
In Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) Bauchi, a parent, Mohammed Shettima who brought his child from Yobe, said that he paid a little over N80,000 for his child as a new intake in 2015 and he paid N47,000 for her this year as a returning student.
He said that he had not seen any significant difference in what he paid last year and what he paid in 2016 despite the reported increment in school fees.
Another parent, a woman, who brought her child from Bauchi town who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity, said she paid N54,500 including a N2,000 PTA levy.
“To me the school fee is fair compared to what is obtained in Private schools,” she said.
Nasiru Abdullahi, who brought his sisters to FGGC Bauchi on transfer from Abuja, said that they paid N75,500 as school fees and N2,000 PTA fee for each student.
In Lagos, many parents have expressed dismay over hike in school fees of their kids even as some of them have chosen to withdraw their wards from high-paying to low-paying schools.
Daily Trust correspondent who monitored resumption of schools in some parts of the state observed that while there was high turnout of pupils resuming in many of the schools, there were also parents who were expressing frustrations about the hikes in school fees and poor economic situation in the country.
Madam Bimbo Adelaja, a mother of two whose kids are attending Bayfield Montessori School, Fagba, lamented that she could no longer bear payment of fees as the management had suddenly increased the tuition from N50,000 to N75,000 for one of her children in Primary Three. She said her plight was worsened by the fact that her other child who was promoted to Primary Five would be paying N95,000 from what used to be N70,000.
Mr Kazeem Yahaya, another parent whose 12-year-old son just secured admission to New Era Secondary School in Agege, said he had decided to seek another school for the child.
“I have always wanted this school for my son but that will never be anymore,” Yahaya said as he drove his son out of the school premises.
“I’m seriously annoyed with the list given to me as the fees to pay for my son who has just been offered admission to JSS One. When I calculated the total amount of the list given to me, I can’t imagine my son paying as high as N103,000. I chose the school because it was close to our house but as it is now, I have to look for something affordable.”
Daily Trust correspondent also gathered that some of the parents withdrew their children from private schools to public schools. Lagos State public schools are known to be tuition free.