Malam Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education, said he did not authorise 300 per cent increase in school fees in Federal Government Colleges across the country as reported in the media.
Adamu spoke with newsmen on the sidelines of the inauguration and dissemination of the National Quality Assurance Handbook for Secondary Education in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalls that the National Parents and Teachers Association of Federal Government Colleges (NAPTAFEGC) recently alerted the public to over 300 per cent increase in school fees.
The National President of NAPTAFEGC, Dr Gabriel Nnaji, had told newsmen that the increase was from N20, 000 to N75, 000.
He said that the increment was unacceptable to the parents as an average parent with more than a child in unity school would not be able to afford it.
Adamu said that as the Minister of Education, he did not authorise any increment.
”I am not aware that the school fees of unity schools have been increased.
”I am the Minister of Education and I am not aware,” he said.
However, Mrs Folashade Yemi-Esan, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, acknowledged that there was an increment.
Yemi-Esan, while fielding questions with newsmen, said that the increment was not 300 per cent as claimed.
”Yes the school fees of Federal Government colleges have been increased but not 300 per cent as claimed.
”You are aware of the realities in the country; it is important for the colleges to be able to maintain the students that are there and you must also be aware that these schools are tuition free.
”So, what has been increased is the boarding fees; I do not have the figures but it is not N75, 000.
”It is a list and when you check the breakdown, it is not up to 30 per cent,” she said.
Meanwhile, a Federal Government College, Rubochi, FCT document obtained by NAN, indicates that the boarding fee was increased from N8, 000 to N15, 000.
The total of the 16 items listed in the document amounted to N55, 000.
Another parent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told NAN that the document given to her child from Federal Government Girls’ College, Keana, Nasarawa State had a total fees of N45, 000.
Earlier in his address at the inauguration, Adamu said that the handbook was an indispensable tool in the effort to achieve quality service in the education sector.
He said that the fact that Quality Education ranked fourth on the list of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the present government’s focus of quality education, attested to the need for the handbook.
Adamu commended the contribution and technical support given to the project by the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria. (NAN)