Parents of students attending Lagos Model Colleges are protesting against a recent 200% increase in boarding fees, accusing the Lagos State Ministry of Education of corruption and insensitivity.
The Chairman of the Parents’ Forum, Surv. Dapo Dawodu, raised the alarm during a meeting in Lagos on Saturday.
The parents’ forum, in a letter dated 14th September, titled “Re: Increment in Fees,” expressed their outrage.
The letter stated, “In the last 24 hours, we have witnessed an avalanche of disdain, anguish, and frustration at the mindless and provocative 200% increase in boarding fees for our children, imposed by the corrupt officers of the Lagos State Ministry of Education!”
The forum questioned the rationale behind increasing the fee from N35,000 to N100,000 per term, noting that in schools with 1,000 students, this would generate N100 million, far exceeding the previous amount spent on feeding and welfare.
The letter highlighted that the cost to feed 500 students used to be N17.5 million, but principals are now requesting N50 million for the same services.
Parents also reminded the Lagos Ministry of Education of their February 2024 proposal for a school feeding and welfare scheme, which remains unimplemented.
They criticized the government’s decision, particularly as it claims to offer free education. The parents emphasized that the current financial climate, worsened by subsidy removals, has left families struggling, making the fee increase unacceptable.
The forum threatened to keep their children at home unless the decision is reversed. They declared, “No reversal, no resumption,” urging parents to keep their children from school starting Sunday, 15th September 2024.
In response, the Lagos State Government defended the fee hike, citing rising costs.
The decision was confirmed in a letter sent to all boarding school principals by the Director of Basic Education Services at the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Olufemi Asaolu, on Friday, 13th September.
