Friday Olokor, Abuja
The Federal Government has banned the
collection of development levies by the Parent-Teacher Association in
the Unity Colleges across the country.
The measure, according to the government, was to alleviate the sufferings of parents and the generality of students.
A statement issued on Tuesday night by
the Deputy Director (Press and Public Relations) in the Ministry of
Education, Ben Bem Goong, said the ban was “with immediate effect.
''The government also said no PTA of any
Unity College would be allowed to initiate any development project in
any of the institutions without the express or written authorisation of
the Federal Ministry of Education.
The statement quoted the Minister of
Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, as saying that the new measures were
aimed at arresting the shocking trend where development levies imposed
on parents by PTAs were becoming higher than the school fees charged by
the government which established the schools.
Citing examples of PTA collections which
had become higher than school fees charged by government, the minister
gave the examples of Kings College, Lagos and the Federal Science and
Technical College, Yaba in Lagos where the fees charged by the
government for JSS1 pupils in the first term was N69, 400.00, while the
PTA collections stood at N70,000.00 and N74,000 respectively per child.
Goong said, “This brings the total
amount paid by parents in these two schools to N139,400 and N143,400
respectively. With the reduction on development levies and ban on
charges for new projects as well as the pegging of the development levy
to a maximum of N5,000, parents of JSS1 pupils in these two schools will
now pay N88,000.
“While acknowledging the complementary
roles played by parents and the support provided by the PTA to the
colleges, the education minister said he would not allow the PTAs to
constitute themselves into a government within a government at the level
of the Unity Schools and at the expense of parents.”
Adamu said the government viewed with
grave concern the activities of PTAs in Unity Colleges, which had even
formed themselves into national associations, instead of limiting
themselves to the schools attended by their children.
According to him, running additional
organisations such as the National Parent and Teacher Association of
Federal Government Colleges increases the burden on parents who hardly
differentiate between government charges and PTA levies.
Adamu described the existence of an umbrella body over the PTA as “unnecessary, exploitative and unacceptable.”
Speaking on the realignment of charges
payable to schools and PTAs which some media reports have tagged as
“increase in school fees” the minister said there had been no increase
in school fees.
Adamu said, “The realigned fees now
stand at N83,000 across all Unity Colleges in the country for new
intakes, and a recommended maximum of N5,000 PTA levy, while old
students will pay less.
“This is intended to transfer payments
from parents directly to the colleges rather than routing them through
the PTA thereby reducing the increasing over-dependence on PTA and the
attendant interference in the management of the colleges. The exorbitant
PTA charges have made the quest to become PTA Chairmen a do-or-die
affair in almost all Unity Colleges.”
Adamu also explained that the ban on
post-UTME, cancellation of second NECO test into Unity Colleges,
reduction of PTA levies and the subsequent realignment of fees in Unity
Colleges were all aimed at making education affordable as a weapon for
breaking the cycle of poverty.”
Post a Comment