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Tag: Proprietors

  • Proprietors get new leaders, renew pledge to deliver more value

    Proprietors get new leaders, renew pledge to deliver more value

    International Association of Private Schools’ Proprietors and Proprietresses held its 2025 National Conference at Frontliner School, Akowonjo, Lagos State.

    Guest speakers, including broadcast icon, Dr. Ambrose Somide, Mr. Joshua Falade, Dr. Ronke Soyombo of TRCN, Mr. Oreofe Ogundairo; Obadimeji Taiwo, spoke on enriching topics to further quality educational delivery in our schools.

    Read Also: Private school proprietors seek transparency, others

    The media committee announced changes in leadersship at National Executive and Board of Trustees levels. Olanrewaju Bello handed over as national president to Mr. Bolaji Hakeem Oguntoyinbo, while Chief Amos Adediji stepped down as B.O.T. chair, handing over to Elder Adesina Kelani.

    The new leadership pledged to entrench the vision, mission and ideologies of the body.

  • ‘Ensure pupils are taught in safe environment’

    The National President of  Private Education Development Association of Nigeria (PEDAN), Mr. Festus Awodoyin, has urged school proprietors to ensure that pupils are taught in a safe environment.

    Awodoyin, who spoke to The Nation in Ajegunle, Lagos, yesterday on the building collapse which occurred last week at Ita Faji, Lagos Island, said it was the responsibility of proprietors to make sure that pupils received lessons in a conducive environment.

    He said: “We, proprietors, should not only be concerned about making money. The welfare and safety of our pupils should be of concern to us. We should make sure that the buildings of our schools are secure.”

    The PEDAN National President said although the proprietor of the affected school, Ohen Private Nursery and Primary School, Lagos Island, was not a member of their association, “plans are on to make our members accessible to loans through cooperative societies to enable them buy land and build  structures that will be of high quality, thus preventing building collapse.”

    He implored the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to ensure that schools are located in a safe environment.

    Dr. Comfort Ojikutu-Esebamen, a member of PEDAN’s Board of Trustees (BoT), sympathized with the families of those who lost their loved ones.

    She said: “As a mother, I know the trauma they are passing through. I pray that the Almighty God will give them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

    “The government should monitor private schools and ensure that they are located in secure places to prevent calamity like the one which occurred on March 13 on Lagos Island.”

    Mrs Ojikutu-Esebamen said PEDAN’s unified examination, which had been well prepared for, would hold today in all the education districts in Lagos State.

    PEDAN’s BoT Chairman, Rev. Usen Effiong Usen, condemned poorly built schools, saying proprietors should make sure their pupils are accommodated in a good environment.

    Dr. Usen, who commiserated with those who lost relations in the Lagos Island building collapse, hailed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Governor-elect Babajide Sanwo-Olu for showing concern to the survivors and their families.

  • Proprietors decry furore over hijab in Osun schools

    The League of Muslim School Proprietors Worldwide (LEAMSP) has described as unwarranted the furore that greeted the use of hijab in public schools in Osun State.

    The school proprietors urged antagonists of hijab to approach higher court for appeal.

    National President of LEAMSP, Mikail Tijani, said this in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the proprietors’ summit which featured as  its theme: “Meeting 21st century teaching and learning.”

    Said he: “It is regrettable that crisis is brewing over the use of hijab in public schools in the state;

    This should not have been the situation since the use of hijab has the backing of a competent court of law.

    “It is not that the Muslims decided to take the law into their hands; but rather they are benefitting from the freedom given them by a court of competent jurisdiction. What those who were aggrieved by the judgement needed to do was to approach the appellate court to register their opposition to the ruling.

    “This would have been the path to go rather than the path of teaching young children to disobey the law and thereby instituting chaos and anarchy

    “The use of hijab in schools in Lagos State did not favour the Muslim community, yet they did not cause chaos and anarchy. They simply did the right thing by going on appeal.

    “It is important that the law is respected as the foundation for modern societies and everyone is obligated to abide by it since this is what protects the society from resorting to chaos and anarchy that are of benefit to nobody.”

    Earlier, the Kwara State chair of the group, Alhaji Habeeb Ismail  attributed the falling standard of education in the country to disinterestedness of people in seeking more knowledge

    Ismail added that: “Muslims should know that knowledge is our  lost property and the legacy left by the earlier Muslims that were pioneers in all fields of knowledge. But unfortunately, it has been stolen from us, re-modified and represented to us as the model.

    “As proprietors, let us wake up from our slumber and be ready to meet up with the challenges of the 21st century for us to reach the standard.”

  • Proprietors hold Spelling Bee

    The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Sagamu Local Government Zone, will hold its maiden edition of Spelling Bee Competition from March 9 -March 11 at Advance Breed Group of Schools, Government Reservation Area (GRA) Sagamu in Ogun State.

    At the grand finale of the competition, the Council Chairman, Lola Awoniyi, will present gifts to the winners.

    A statement by the Chairman, NAPPS Sagamu Local Government Zone, Prince Adejuwon David, said the competition would bring together pupils from both public and private schools to showcase their talents.

    “The competition is targeted at drawing the youth’s attention back to their books and academics.”

  • Proprietors, Ondo Govt row over taxes

    Members of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) in Ondo State are in a row with the state government over alleged hostile policies against them.

    Consequently, they have been staging protests over what they called heavy taxation imposed on them by the state government.

    Members of the association who expressed their grievances by marching from Igbatoro road to the state secretariat last Thursday were however prevented from proceeding to the governor’s office by armed policemen.

    The Union had earlier given a seven-day ultimatum (which elapsed last Tuesday) to the state government to reverse its policies and reduce the taxes or risk issues that could negatively affect the education sector in the state.

    Addressing reporters during the protest, NAPSS President, Goke Orimoloye, said the taxes collected from schools by the government was affecting the smooth development of private educational institutions in the state.

    Orimoloye said the government is collecting an aggregate tax of N3 million annually from an average private school.

    He complained that the schools pay huge sums of money to the state government, Ministry of Education and the local governments on the same form of taxation.

    The NAPPS President said, “The Board of Internal Revenue collects N2,000,000 yearly, we pay the Ministry of Education a renewal college fee for (college) N125,000 and N80,000 for Primary.

    “We pay N30,000 to the local government on  Business Premises. The Ministry of Education also collect N90,000 for JSS 3 Examination for 60 Students, while SS 2 Examination we pay N55,000 for 55 students.

    “For the Primary six School examination, the ministry of education also collects from us, N50,000 for 50 pupils. Our Tenement rates which we pay to the local government is between N50,000 to N120,000 yearly. Local government vehicle document (mobile advert) is N20,000. Signage to the Board of Internal Revenue is N15,000.

    “Rebranding of vehicle in FRSC colour (per bus) N150,000; we are also paying re-accredication fees for Colleges to the Ministry of Education for N50,000 and Primary for N30,000. For Sanitation we pay N50,000. In total, the ministry of education is collecting N480,000 yearly from us, local government, N50,000, Board of internal revenue, N2,015,200; FRSC, N150,000 and Ministry of Environment, N50,000.”

    Orimoloye condemned the tactics the government agents employed in collecting the taxes, saying sometimes they would lock up the schools and chase away their students.

    He also flayed the government for not listening to their complaints.

    “Rather than given us an audience, they have resorted to threats, intimidation and harassment of our members. The meeting that was held was a ploy by the government to frustrate our protest rally and those that attended the meeting are in government pay-roll or officials of the government.

    He noted that the issue of re-accreditation fee for secondary schools came up few weeks ago when the government directed them to pay N50,000 for accreditation to serve as WAEC centres – including schools that had been accredited before.

    Orimoloye said it was only in Ondo State that private school proprietors were charged heavily when compared with other states in the south west.

    “For instance, we are paying N125,000 for renewal fee, while other states like Ekiti pay N39,000, Edo, N11,000, Osun, N30,000 and presently Ogun is not collecting renewal fees from proprietors,” he said.

    He also said that all attempts by the association to dialogue with Governor Olusegun Mimiko had failed as they were denied access to see him unlike their counterparts like NURTW, ACCOMORON among others.

    Orimoloye said the government had failed to realize that private schools were providing unemployment to young graduates, urging the government to stop treating them like a prisoners in their own state.

    Reacting, the Commissioner for Education, Jide Adejuyigbe said that the state government would constitute a seven-member committee, including NAPSS, to deliberate with a view to resolving the conflict amicably.

     

  • Proprietors protest in Ondo

    Proprietors protest in Ondo

    Members of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) in Ondo State are on “a war path” with the government, following what they described as “heavy tax and obnoxious policies”.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Akure, the state capital, the aggrieved proprietors, led by their President, Pastor Goke Orimoloye, said an average school paid N3million yearly.

    Orimoloye said due to the government’s inconsistent policies, private schools now have to pay the government, Ministry of Education and the local government.

    He said: “The Board of Internal Revenue collects N2,000,200 yearly. We pay the Ministry of Education a renewal college fee for N125,000 and N80,000 for primary school. We pay N30,000 to the local government for the premises. The Ministry of Education also collects N90,000 for JSS 3 examination for 60 pupils; for SS 2 examination we pay N55,000 for 55 pupils.

    “For the primary six examination, the ministry collects N50,000 for 50 pupils. Our tenement rates, which we pay to the local government, is between N50,000 and N120,000 yearly. Local government vehicle document (mobile advert) is N20,000. Signage to the Board of Internal Revenue is N15,000.

    “Rebranding of vehicle in Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) colour (per bus) N150,000.  We also pay re-accreditation fees (for colleges) to the ministry N50,000 and primary schools N30,000.

    “For sanitation we pay N50,000. In total, the ministry collects N480,000 ; local government N50,000; Board of Internal Revenue N2,015,200; FRSC N150,000 and Ministry of Environment N50,000.”

  • Impose Primary Six on schools, proprietors tell govt

    Owners of private schools in Lagos State have urged the Lagos State government to make it compulsory for every pupil that attends private primary schools to complete Primary Six before proceeding to secondary school.

    Although the government promised to ‘do something about it,’ the  school owners wanted more than a promise as they had had several of such made in the past without being implemented. To them, the government needs the ‘will’ to see the issues resolved for good.

    At a stakeholders’ forum between the Lagos State Ministry of Education and the proprietors held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Alausa, Ikeja, some school owners told of the intense pressure they face from parents who insist their wards must write the Common Entrance Examination in either Primary Four or Primary Five, otherwise they would withdraw such child from school to write the exam elsewhere.

    While some schools succumb to pressure, others that believe in professionalism let go of such pupils regardless of the economic loss.

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs Omolara Erogbogbo, lamented how the development is populating secondary schools with  immature children and complicating matters for teachers.

    “Pupils must pass through Primary Six before secondary school. In Lagos State, we have been saying this over and over again asking private schools in particular, to comply because we have found out that once these children get to secondary school, their minds are immature and sometimes their brain too weak to carry out the task of being there. We have had several cases of this,” she said.

    Mrs Oladunjoye continued: “One of such are children that got admission into Lagos State Model School in Obadore. Their parents had lied about their ages. But having entered secondary school, these children could hardly bath. They could not wash their cloths. You know parents over pampere them when they are at home, so they carry out such trait to school.”

    Mrs Oladunjoye further advised private school owners to ensure that their pupils write the Basic Certificate of Education (BECE) examination because it helps them identify areas of strengths and weaknesses.

    She said the examination is very enriching as it would afford pupils the opportunity to explore other areas of furthering their education though technical and vocational institutions, adding that not every graduate would be interested in white collar jobs that are no longer available.

    She said some of the children are good at using their hands and only need to be guided through a profitable career choice.

    The Commissioner also said the examination is conducted by the Lagos State Examinations Board, and the pupils are issued testimonials after completing the examination.

    Responding to fears by private school owners on the ongoing grading of schools by the government in collaboration with Developing Effective Private Education in Nigeria (DEPEN), Mrs Oladunjoye said the exercise was not to ‘witchhunt’ any school, but to assess the schools and grade them according to their facilities to see if they comply with the best practices.

    Similarly, the Director of the Lagos State Examinations Board, Mr Hassan, who assured the proprietors that the government would review the situation, harped on the nine-year compulsory education as the minimum for any child.

    He explained that since the First School Leaving Certificate was phased out in 2006, it was replaced with the BECE by the Universal Basic Education law.

    Aptitude tests, Hassan said, are conducted in order to streamline pupils into whether they have flair for science, arts or vocational.

    Hassan explained that BECE is the Junior School Certificate Examination (JSCE) in which a minimum of 13 core subjects and core electives are written by JSS3 pupils.

    The subjects include: Mathematics, English Language, Civics, Social Studies, Basic Science, Christian Religious Studies/Islamic Religious Studies, French, Physical Education, Computer, and a Nigerian language, while the electives include Agricultural Science,  Home Economics, Arabic and Business Studies.

    Hassan noted that late submission of CDs for examination by private schools hampers the production of OMR sheets and question papers as each candidate will have his/her picture on the papers.

    Also, the Chairman of the Lagos State Standing Committee on Curriculum and School Calendar Dr. Femi Ogunsanya, praised both parties for ensuring harmony towards a common goal.

  • Amosun advises school proprietors

    Amosun advises school proprietors

    The Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, has advised proprietors of private schools to continue to contribute to the development of education in the state and beyond.

    Amosun, who spoke during the opening of Thames Valley College, Ijagba, Ogun State, said collaboration between the government and private sector was necessary to improve the education sector.

    Represented by the state Commissioner for Education, John Olusegun Odubela, Amosun said the school boasts of infrastructure that would help in enhancing growth.

    He said the institution is one of the best in the state, in terms of its facilities and curriculum.

    Also, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Muyiwa Oladipo, said the shool chose a combination of American, British, and Nigerian curricular to provide the best services for the pupils.

    Oladipo, also a director of the school, said Thames would churn out graduates that would compete with their counterparts in Nigeria and outside the country.

    He listed the facilities to include well- equipped science laboratory, library, clinic, multi-purpose hall, and sporting equipment.

    The founder, Nurudeen Fagbenro assured that the school would provide quality education for pupils in the state and its environs. He said the institution would help in re-defining teaching and learning in the country.

    His words: “We believe every child has some unique attributes. Our teachers would identify the learning pattern of the student and leverage on that to improve them. The coming of the school is like a revolution in the sector and the country in particular.”

    He commended people who contributed to the school, assuring them of good, quality, and enduring services.

     

  • Proprietors urge Ogun to suspend pupils’ head count

    Proprietors of private nursery/primary and secondary schools in Ogun State have disagreed with the government’s position that tax paid by a school should be determined by its number of pupils.

    The government said schools should pay two per cent on every pupil’s tuition fee per term as tax.

    It said it would embark on a head count of pupils in private schools to ensure that it is not shortchanged.

    The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Ogun State chapter, disagreed with the proposal, saying it would prevent government officials from conducting the head count.

    Speaking with reporters in Abeokuta, the state capital, NAPPS Chairman Dr. Abayomi Jiboku said officials of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology have started “barging” into private schools for the head count.

    Jiboku said: “Such unwarranted counting includes pupils that might have opted out of schools, those on scholarship and fee defaulters. Proprietors are bound to lose out.

    “We shall resist any government agency breaking into our institutions for a head count aimed at calculating renewal fee for schools. The fee is illegal because there is no law backing it up. In the constitution, schools are to pay N100 yearly.”

    He said as stakeholders in education, proprietors of private schools deserve commendation and should be involved in the formulation of educational policies.

    Jiboku said NAPPS has suggested a “more viable and feasible” alternative, which is the categorisation of schools into small, medium, big and mega. He said each of the categories should be allowed to pay a fixed amount of money as is obtainable in neighbouring states.

    Jiboku urged the government to suspend the head count and discuss with the association.

     

  • Start succession planning now, proprietors told

    Proprietors of Private schools have been told to establish a succession plan if they want their schools to remain in existence for many generations.

    This was the focus of discussion at a conference organised by the Association of International School Educators of Nigeria (AISEN), held at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki last week.

    Professionals in education management, entrepreneurship and leadership development programmes were there to do justice to the theme, Succession Planning: 30 years on.

    Speaking on: Tools for Staying the Course keynote speaker, Mr Jeff Bradley, said it is not common for school owners to plan ahead of their departure, noting that it is quite important to do so.

    Bradley, who has been a teacher, coach, dean and head of school for 17 years in the United States, said for a succession plan to sail through, good governance and leadership are very important factors that encapsulate sound direction, continuity, consistency and effective support from staff members.

    Bradley said to pick a successor, one should look for leadership quality ” someone who is showing imagination and great leadership, creativity, and passion; who knows how to connect, who is good at building alliances, who do people listen to,” he said.

    He added: “Look for people who are lifters not learners. The lifters are the ones who shoulder their burden and carry others; they are the ones who can move the school forward. Look for people with a growth mindset not a fixed mindset. The people with growth mindset are constantly learning and working. They don’t mind if they fail, they keep on pushing themselves, they look for challenges, feedback, and want to hear criticism. They constantly look for ways to better themselves.

    “When you find the person, give them space to fail and learn from their mistakes. Allow them explore. Make them start from the beginning, and trust the person very much,” he said.

    Underscoring the importance of a succession plan, the second speaker, Mrs Ndidi Nwuneli, founder of LEAP Africa, said many companies have died because there was nobody to carry on.

    Speaking on: Identifying and grooming your successor, she said people are scared of sitting down to think that one day they would become old and weak or even die , so therefore need someone to take over from where they stop.

    “There were companies that used to be the talk of town before but are nowhere today. Some died because of succession problem. You need to have a clear succession plan. You don’t need to procrastinate. When you are putting your board together, put in people that will help you prepare your school to survive from generation to generation. Don’t just put in your family members”, she warned.

    AISEN President, Mrs Ekua Abudu, said it is inevitable that one day, the proprietors will leave their businesses. “Our intention is that every school present here will provide their services to generations yet unborn.”