A cross-section of parents and guardians in Nasararawa State have lamented the arbitrary increase in school fees of their wards in private schools in the state.
The parents stated this in an interview on Tuesday in Lafia the state capital.
They have appealed to the state government to place a limit on how much private schools within the state could charge.
Mr. David Anyuabuga, Nasarawa State Chairman of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), sympathizes with the parents who had to pay exorbitant fees despite the high inflation.
He blamed the indiscriminate increase of school fees on the failure of the government to perform its regulatory role of checkmating the excesses of private schools.
“The government must closely monitor the collection of fees and other charges by private schools to curtail the arbitrary increase,’ he said.
“However, the increase by some schools was justifiable because of the need to improve staff welfare and provide more infrastructures for learning.
“But, many others increase fees arbitrarily without a corresponding improvement in the infrastructure and staff welfare, and they do so almost every term,” he added.
The NAPTAN Chairman, however, said that it is not as if private schools cannot increase fees, but they should do so responsibly.
Anyuabuga also applauded the state government for sustaining the free education policy in public Primary and Secondary Schools.
He also appealed to the state government to restore the provision of grants and aid to private schools to tackle the arbitrary increase of school fees.
Also, Abdullahi Saidu, a parent, said that the government must supervise the activities of private schools, especially in the area of fees,s, to make education affordable to the common man.
He said that some private schools are increasing fees every term and still pay their teachers very poorly.
He, therefore, appealed that the government, as a matter of urgency,y, set a limit to what private schools can increase to promote enrolment.
Justina Michael, while speaking on the issue, said that the government should increase the level of supervision in public schools to improve the standard so that parents would send their wards to public schools.
“If the government schools are functioning optimally, why should I send my children to private schools where I will be exploited,” she added. (www.krestnews.com)