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C M Y K 36 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 FSTC hostel levy: Parents lament N50,000 imposition …The levy is not a compulsion – PTA chairman parent having four children, such parent would pay N200,000. I have a daughter in SS1 who will resume in October while the other one may resume the same time her name was released for admission into JSS One. “ he said The levy is not compulsory – PTA chairman A call to FSTC PTA chairman, whose name was given as Mr. Olise, revealed a different story. Mr Olise who initially declined to speak on phone, however, explained that the decision was unanimously reached by the parents. His words: “Madam, I cannot speak with you over the phone about that because it is a decision of parents and we are not mandating anybody. As per imposing the levy, it is not true. As you know, out of every 12, there would be a Judas. “If parents say, ”chairman, this is what we want, and the parents formed a committee and went to Abuja to meet the Director/Perm-Sec, Federal Ministry of Education and say, ”this is what we have agreed to do. Would I say no? Definitely, there are some parents that may not be happy with the decision, and I don’t blame them anyway. “The parents agreed that since all fingers are not equal, nobody should be mandated to pay it at once, that every parent should pay at his or her pace. If I am around, I would have shown you evidence. And we don’t collect cash, everything goes into the bank for accountability. Even, the building, it is the parents that will build as they have a committee of over 30 parents who are professionals that include Engineers, Architect “ he noted. *From left: Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, The Technical University, Prof. Ibidapo Obe, Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ayobami Salami and member of the council, Dr Sunday Adetona during the visit of the University's Governing Council to the Governor’s Office, Ibadan. By Elizabeth Uwandu As new academic session begins, parents of students of the Federal Science and Technical College, FSTC, Yaba, are lamenting an alleged N50,000 imposed on students by the school’s parents teachers association, PTA for the construction of a new hostel. This is as they accused the PTA of insensitivity by not carrying every parent along and by sending back home students whose parents refused to pay the fee they termed donation. According to a parent, Mrs. Idowu Ajayi (not real names), the association even went ahead to create a private account for the levy. Her words: “The Parents Teachers Association of FSTC, Yaba has imposed N50,000 fee on every child purportedly for a new hostel project. “They claim that the decision was taken at a PTA meeting. I am a parent in the school. I was not invited to any PTA meeting where such a decision was taken. I understand that parents who were present at the meeting protested. “Yet, students returning to school for the new session will not be checked in unless they show receipt of payment of this imposed illegal fee. Can the Federal Ministry of Education Authorities intervene?” She added: "I have made efforts to get the contact of the Chairperson of the PTA, nobody is providing it. Part of the letter reads: 'Project Account: as agreed at the PTA General Meeting held on Saturday, 27th July 2019, the project account has been opened for parents to pay-in their donations. Bank: ACCESS BANK. NO. 0817220952. ACCOUNT NAME: FSTC YABA PROJECT ACCOUNT.' “This is different from PTA Levy of N5,000. They call it a donation, yet, they make it mandatory by denying entry to any child without a receipt of payment. They collect money from parents for blazers which they never supplied. The school is supposed to be tuitionfree, yet, parents are exploited under various fraudulent guises,” she alleged. However, a visit to the school on Tuesday saw parents challenging the imposition. A parent who refused to disclose his name told Vanguard that: “They refused to stamp my daughter’s document despite the fact that I brought the receipt of the N5,000 levy I paid to the bank. That money is huge, and they said I will bring ...parents who were present at the meeting protested; yet, students returning to school for the new session will not be checked in unless they show receipt of payment of this imposed illegal fee the two tellers before they can stamp the documents. Mind you, the normal PTA levy is paid directly to the school’s account. but this one now is a new account," he lamented. Some parents who took the decision are now crying foul For a parent who gave her name as Mrs. Blessing, and whose daughter would begin SS 2, it was some parents who made the decision and agreed that any child whose parents did not pay the levy for the purported new hostel should be sent home. According to her:” Yes, it is true that parents are asked to pay N50,000 to build a new hostel. PTA said it is compulsory and that one can pay the installment. This money is too much. Yet, some were the ones that did the meeting and agreed that if any parent does not pay, his or her child should not be allowed into the school. Asked if she attended the said meeting, Mrs. Blessing reiterated that, “ I got to know about the N50,000 through a newsletter my son brought back home. And since I don’t want my child to stay any longer at home, I plan to pay it twice.” she stated. We will protest this new levy According to Mr. Peter Igho, although his ward was yet to resume, he, however, vowed to resist paying such amount. “I heard about the N50,000 levy but, I doubt if we will pay, as the parents may protest. That money is too much. Imagine a RESUMPTION: Non-payment of fees, lack of books keep students at home By Adesina Wahab & Elizabeth Uwandu When primary and secondary schools resumed activities for the 2019/2020 academic session in Lagos State on Monday, many of the pupils and students were not in school, no thanks to a number of factors, finance being the major one. Investigations by Vanguard showed that pupils and students in private primary and secondary schools were the most affected, as some school owners insisted on the payment of school fees before pupils and students would be allowed in. For instance, in some schools in Agbado and Ajasa areas of Lagos, many pupils and students were turned back at the gates for not presenting bank tellers of fees paid by their guardians and parents. At St Gladys Primary School and Grimes International College in Agbado, pupils and students who were yet to have their fees paid were denied entry It was gathered that the owners took the drastic step because of the huge amount of fees some parents and guardians were owing, even from the last academic session. Some school owners are also disappointed with the practice by some parents and guardians who would change the schools of their wards after incurring huge debts in some other places. Also, the inability of some parents to buy necessary books, uniforms, shoes among other needs, also kept some pupils and students at home. A visit by Vanguard to schools in Mushin and Ijesa areas of Lagos showed that majority of the children were yet to resume. “ We have resumed and concluded a test now. However, the turnout today was low, as only 20 out of 58 pupils were present in class. I want to believe the children will inform their mates that work has resumed,” Mrs Adeyemo, a teacher at Abiodun Nursery and Primary School, Mushin said. For pupils of Ilasamaja Primary School, academic activities started in earnest with the conduct of a welcome back test for the pupils. However, some of the pupils were not in school because their wards and parents were still battling with buying books and other teaching aids for them. According to Mrs Lilian Patrick, Headmistress, Danec Nursery and Primary School, Ilasamaja, although some old pupils did not turn up in school, about eight new pupils registered in various classes. Recall that Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, over the weekend directed that all schools should resume on September 9. This, she said, would allow conformity with the unified school calendar, and discourage some private schools who usually resume a week after.
C M Y K Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 — 37 Lessen our tax burdens, school owner pleads with govt By Adesina Wahab The proprietress of T- Square Schools, Ahmadiyya, Lagos, Mrs Abiodun Adebusuyi, has called on the government to remove the burdens of multiple taxes placed on private school owners in the country, saying the taxes can run them out of business. Adebusuyi, in a chat with Vanguard, said local and state governments were culpable in the imposition of sundry taxes on private schools and that most of the taxes were mere duplications and many not relevant to the business of running schools. She pleaded with both local and state governments to review downward taxes being paid by school owners in Lagos State. She identified some of the taxes as radio/television, branding of school vehicles and tenement rate. She condemned what she described as constant harassment by local government officials over local government papers. She said: “Some of the time, the council officials would just jump on the road from nowhere and block your way with sharp objects capable of bursting your vehicle tyres if you are unfortunate to run over such dangerous weapon. Even after showing them the papers, they will ask for basket, hawker permit and other things just to extort you. Let the government tell us the various taxes to avoid double taxation. We want reduction in charges by the government. These levies and charges have negative effects on the development of the school,” she noted. Education is not all about seeking job after graduation — Karounwi By Bola Oguntola The Proprietress of Rosecroft Preparatory Primary School, Ikeja, Lagos, Mrs Kofo Karounwi, has said that education is not all about searching for and securing a job after graduation, but a means of opening one’s mind to be able to think, reason and make the best of whatever life puts at one’s table. In an interview with Vanguard, she described education as service to life, “because it is what is given to the children that will go with them into life, so if you give them quality education, they will become better people in the society.” Karounwi noted that because some children did not get it right a the tender age, they would go on to engage in examination malpractice and other vices. She said employers need people who could think out of the box but when students could not even think within the box, let alone outside of the box, they would become square pegs in round holes who would not be useful. “Industries need people who are innovative, imaginative and can add values, hence, the On her expectations from the government, she said: “We want the government to assist private schools in the area of loans or grants. Some school owners cannot afford the interest rate being charged by the banks hence, the need for state governments to come to our aid. “The government should see us as partners in the education sector. We are not competing with the government. We will also appreciate the inclusion of private school students in government’s Spelling Bee competition. The government should give all the children equal rights and opportunities whether you are in public or private school. What they give to students in public schools should also be extended to their counterparts in private schools. “Some of the parents of students in private schools are civil servants, they pay taxes and other levies to government,” she added. On the impact of economic downturn on their business, Adebusuyi noted: ”Irregular payment of school fees is another area that is giving school owners sleepless nights. Some parents are funny as they jump from one school to the other as a result of school fees. When they know that they are owing you so much, instead of working out a suitable arrangement with the school owner on how to pay the debt, they change schools. “It is not possible to collect school fees 100 per cent at the end of the term, but we thank God that the method being adopted here is paying off.” need to overhaul our educational system by giving it the priority it deserves. Give teachers credit for the work they do, review the curriculum, change methods of teaching, and inculcate teacher training so that we can be at par with our counterparts around the world as we are training for the global market now. “This is possible when children, at an early age, are given the liberty to think and make decisions on their own rather than being told what to do from primary to tertiary levels,” she stated. She opined that when teachers insist on garbage in, garbage out, the students would not be able to think on their own. “What students study in the university does not necessarily determine who they become in future but what they have imbibed in the process of learning. We do not need western education to be openminded because when the Europeans came, they met an organised society and a people who had their own ways of doing things and inculcating values into their wards,” she said. *Few children back in classroom on first day of the new term. Education Summit: A'Ibom indigenes set for training in textile engineering By Ebele Orakpo Ten indigenes of Akwa Ibom State are to be enrolled for studies in Textile Engineering in Europe come September 2020. Governor Udom Emmanuel announced this while addressing participants at the 1st Akwa Ibom State Education Summit And Exhibitions in Uyo. Hear him: “Officials of an institution in Europe watched this programme live and communicated to me, saying that having watched this programme and listened to my passion for technology-based education, by September next year, they will grant scholarship to 10 Akwa Ibom citizens to study Textile Engineering." Pointing out that lack of capacity-building has been a major problem in the society, he said: “the problem in Nigeria is not unemployment but capacitybuilding, if we can build our capacity, certificate will not be an issue.” He said the need to restructure the current educational system cannot be overemphasised in view of its overall importance in defining the future of the children. Emmanuel maintained that education must be tailored towards producing entrepreneurs and craftsmen in vocations that will add value to society, adding that such craftsmen would be produced in the state. “I am looking at a situation where certain categories of skilled labour are produced here,” he stated. He hinted that arrangements have been completed for the establishment of computer laboratories in at least a school in each of the 10 federal constituencies of the state. The governor explained that the Modula Classrooms built in primary schools within Uyo urban are technologically designed to fasttrack communication with schools in remote areas, pointing out that technology will simplify learning ..emphasis is on skilled-based education and internship and industrial experience are preferred to theoretical experience as knowledge will be transferred with the in-built facilities. Delivering a lecture titled: Knowledge as a Bedrock for Entrepreneurship, Job And Wealth Creation, the Chief Human Resources Officer, Dangote Worldwide, Logos State, Mr. Usen Udoh, advocated a change in teaching method and curriculum of studies. Mr Udoh said that 21st Century education adopts problem identification method and ability to solve such problems rather than training on grammar. He said emphasis is on skilled-based education and that internship and industrial experience are preferred to theoretical experience as employers do not look at certificate but qualifications that can solve problems. He, however, called on the organisers of the summit to come up with educational roadmap that will transcend different administrations in the state. A former Vic-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof. Akaneren Essien, who spoke on the topic: Funding of Education in Akwa Ibom State: A Collective Responsibility, identified appropriate funding of education as key to functional education, maintaining that there exists a nexus between capacity-building and funding of education. Prof. Essien pointed out that poor or improper funding and implementation of projects in the educational system could have poor effects on student’s performance and called for collaborative funding of education, which he explained, covers funding from family, Parent Teachers Association , corporate bodies, government, alumni associations etc. in order to achieve the desired results. Ogunde advises parents, proprietors on school fees By Elizabeth Nwandu As a new academic session begins, parents have been charged to give priority attention to the payment of their wards' school fees. Also, school owners have been advised to be considerate in the fees being charged and the mode of payment. The advice was given by the Founder, Concerned Parents and Educators Network, CPEN, Mrs Yinka Ogunde in a chat with Vanguard. She opined that though the nation is experiencing serious economic challenges, that should not be the reason to deny innocent children sound education. She, therefore, called on school owners and parents to dialogue on ways school fees would be paid that would be acceptable to both parties. She suggested that school owners could allow parents and guardians to pay the fees in instalments. Speaking in the same vein, Mrs Toyin Olawale said: “School owners should make school fees reasonable considering the value of education and the fact that most of them are products of free education programme in the past.” On her part, Mrs Funmilayo Ismail said the owner of the school her children attend allowed for school fees to be paid in instalments and it made it easier for her to cope.
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12092019

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