States warn private schools against hikes in fees

The authorities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states have warned private school proprietors against arbitrary fee hikes and non-compliance with educational regulations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that most private schools in the affected states have continued to jerk up their fees following the removal of fuel and other subsidies.

Alhaji Bulama Abiso, the Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Borno, who spoke on the development, highlighted the need for stakeholder collaboration to address the issue

“Education is a shared responsibility. We must work together to ensure that schools operate in a way that balances quality education with affordability.

“Arbitrary fee hikes undermine this balance and place unnecessary burdens on families,” Abiso said.

In Yobe, the Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr Abba Idris, said that school fees charged by private primary and secondary schools in the state must not exceed N50,000 per student.

According to him, school fees charged above N50,000 must merit the amount and have the approval of the state government.

In Adamawa, the Commissioner for Education, Dr Garba Pella, said private schools as major players in the development of education in the state are carefully monitored to check any form of abuse and exploitation.

According to him, the government has made it a policy that whenever there is a need for them to increase fees, they should write to the ministry for the government to be able to know the rationale behind the increase.