The Federal Government’s ban on PTA Levies in its colleges, popullarly known as Unity Schools, is generating heat. To some, it is a play to kill the colleges. But others say it is a step in the right direction.
The Federal Government’s ban on levy collected by the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) colleges, aka Unity Schools) is the latest in the list of dramatic reforms introduced since Mallam Adamu Adamu became Minister of Education. Before it were the ban of the Post-UTME, sack of 13 Vice Chancellors, and the stoppage of the second (interview) stage of admission screening into unity schools.
Last week, the minister announced a hike in fees payable in the 104 Unity Schools from N20,000 to N75,000 and followed it with the ban on levy collected for development purposes by the PTA. From now on, the levy, which cannot exceed N5,000 for new pupils (and even less for returning pupils), would be paid directly to the schools. Also, the PTA must seek approval from the Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE) before embarking on projects in the schools.
The minister said the aim of removing the levy, which he said became higher than the fees charged in some of the schools, was to reduce the financial burden on parents, arguing that even with the increment, pupils would still pay less than what obtained when PTA levy was collected.
He said in a statement: “This brings the total amount paid by parents in these two schools to N139,400 and N143,400 respectively. With the reduction on development levies and ban on charges for new projects as well as the pegging of the development levy to a maximum of N5,000, parents of JSS1 pupils in these two schools will now pay N88,000.”
The ban, while linked with an attempt by the Federal Government to defend the fee increment, may not be unconnected with complaints in the past by parents who lamented having to pay various levies (such as laundry, prep, development, meal subsidy, etc) amounting to thousands of naira each term.
Move may spell doom for unity schools
Leadership of the PTAs across the nation, as well as some parents, and teachers have kicked against this move, which they said would spell doom for the colleges. They argue that with underfunding of the schools by the Federal Government as well as bureaucracy involved in the release of funds, it would be difficult administering the schools.
The Southwest Zone of the PTA of unity schools rejected the hike in school fees and scrapping of PTA levy by the Federal Government.
The association, in a communique issued at the end of its meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital at the weekend, said the hike was at variance with the free education policy of the Federal Government
It urged the government to rescind its decision on fees hike and levies without delay in view of the laudable projects being executed with the levies as well as the various strategic supportive role the levies play in the smooth running of the schools.
The association in the seven-point communique signed by its Coordinator, Adebayo Olayide, urged the government to rescind its decisions in the interest of the schools.
The communique reads in part: “We do not support the recent increase in the school fees of unity schools as this will be at variance with the free education policy of the Federal Government. We, therefore, urge the Federal Government to rescind this decision without delay as it will have far-reaching implications on the future of our children.
“We are of the opinion that the current comments credited to the Hon. Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to the effect that PTAs of unity schools should refrain from collecting the development levy should be given a second thought. Apart from the fact that the development levy is unanimously agreed upon by the PTA congress of each of the unity schools in Southwest Zone, prompted by a letter of request from the school authority for PTA’s assistance and justifying the need for the required facility, development projects in the schools across the zone are largely credited to this fee. For instance, the Hon. Minister of State for Education came to commission a gigantic hostel project of 1,200-bed space girls hostel built by the PTA at FSTC, Yaba, Lagos recently. The hostel project and other projects that were executed in other unity schools across the zone are in the range of hundreds of millions of Naira that were sourced from the so-called development levy.”
The group also feared that the reduction in the levies would affect the ability of the PTA of various colleges to pay part-time teachers employed to fill shortfall in teacher supply, a general problem in the schools.
“If the Hon. Minister of Education does not rescind his directive on the PTA development levy, the PTAs may be constrained to dispense with the PTA staff on her payroll, stop ongoing PTA projects and provision of essential voluntary services valued at N1.5 billion as the PTA would not have the capacity to continue with those activities,” they said.
Mr. Clement Obiri, a PTA Executive at the FGC, Rumuokoro, Obio/Akpor Local government area of Rivers State, in the school said the government should not have announced a blanket ban of levies across board. He said the ban should have applied in schools where PTA could not account for the funds collected – unlike his school, which was doing well with the funds.
“For us here, all the levies collected were being accounted for. Both the school and the parents are happy that we are making good use of it. Another thing is that maybe the government is trying to carry the responsibilities that were being taken over by the payment of PTA levies,” he said.
A teacher at FGGC Calabar, who did not want to be named, also faulted the blanket ban.
The teacher said: “I do not believe the government is right on this one. The PTA levy has tremendously helped in running the school. I want to believe the reason the government is trying to stop it is because they feel most times such monies are never accounted for. But they should not throw the baby out with the bath water. If something is good and has been working well so far, one or two discrepancies should not be enough for everything to be weeded out. I cannot speak for other institutions, but at least in this school, there are things that the PTA fee has done for us. That is because whatever money we realize from it is properly accounted for and judiciously used for any project parents and teachers have identified would benefit all and sundry.”
For Terwase Ugoh, a PTA teacher with Federal Government College Vandiekya, in Benue State, the government should either absorb the PTA teachers into its workforce or allow the levies to remain.
“Even though our salaries cannot be compared with the full-time Unity school teachers’ salaries; even at though it is not regular, what would be our fate if the levy is stopped? The Federal Government should rescind the decision and allow the economy to stabilise or absorbed PTA hired teachers into the system to make life easy,” he said.
However, Joshua Olalekan, a student in one of the schools, said the directive may back-fire if the Federal Government did not provide sufficient funds to the affected schools.
Olalekan said poor funding of these schools made them to seek alternative ways of generating fund, warning that most of the Unity Schools would collapse if the policy is not reversed.
He said, “While the Federal Government insists that PTAs stop collecting levies, plans on how to fund these schools should be formulated and implemented. With this directive, Unity Schools would suffer subsequently unless they are adequately funded by the Federal Government. This directive would back-fire if funds are not provided subsequently, as the standard of Unity Schools in Nigeria would seriously be affected.”
Former principal of King’s College, Lagos, Otunba Dele Olapeju, said but for the PTA’s financial support, he would not have achieved as much as he did during his six-year term at the school.
Olapeju, who retired last November, said the PTA hired as many as 50 teachers for the school; without the PTA’s support, he said the Federal Government should be ready to “bury” the schools.
He said: “That policy is a policy turned upside down. It is an invitation for undertakers to bury the remains of unity schools. Government funding is declining and we need these funds for the schools. It is the worst thing that can happen to the schools. When I heard, I could not believe it. These people (parents) are assisting government to carry out their mandate. We understand that government has a lot of responsibilities but they cannot do everything. Parents are not complaining. My six years’ success as a Principal of King’s College amounted from God’s grace and the parents’ help. They were very caring and they wanted the best for their children and that is the Nigerian spirit that we used to have in those days.
“This is a government that wants to create jobs. In my time, 50 teachers were being paid by the PTA because the school had manpower gap. Now if they stop the levy, how will these teachers be paid? That would mean 50 more people thrown into unemployment.”
Olapeju also claimed that the ban maybe an agenda to put all 104 Unity Schools on the same level of development, saying that the schools in the south were more developed than those in northern Nigeria.
“The rumour is that schools in the south are doing well and it is because parents support the schools. Those in the north are not willing to pay such money,” he said.
Some stakeholders laud ban
There are many parents who are happy that the Federal Government has finally stepped in to regulate how much they pay are to pay as levies. They complained that the levies were burdensome and were not always put to judicious uses.
A lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Mr. Idris Abubakar, who is also a parent, said the directive was welcome,
“It is unfortunate that even amidst the current economic hardships in the country, some policies are being formulated our schools to inflict more suffering on the masses. Most of these levies are not channeled for the right purpose. Therefore, if the money is being diverted, then it should be scrapped,” he said.
A parent, Emmanuel Zainab, said she was happy when she heard the news, adding that the huge sum of money charged in Unity Schools discouraged her from sending her two children to Unity School.
Mrs. Juliet Obodo, whose children attend FGC in Rivers State, said parents with many children in unity schools are overburdened by the levies.
“Look at the economic situation of the country today; it is not the same with that of yesterday. I have three children schooling here. Apart from PTA levy, there are other levies which we pay. So if the government has decided to stop that one it is a good thing for people like us. Though others would afford it but so many of us struggle to pay it. I support the Federal government.”
A Principal of one of the Unity Schools in Niger State, who preferred anonymity because he was not authorized to speak, said the idea of paying for PTA as well as development levies separately in Unity Schools in the country is worrisome.
He argued that the N5,000 the PTA levy should be enough for funding projects in schools.
A parent with a child at the Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, Mr Gboyega Alaka, agrees that the N5,000 should be sufficient to pay PTA Teachers.
“With over 4,000 students in the school, the PTA can get enough money to pay the teachers it hired,” he said.
An alumna of Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos, Mrs Aiki, said if the unity schools could exist without PTA levies in the good old days, they can in the future if the schools are well funded.
“There was no PTA levy when I was a student. We had everything we required and facilities were state of the art. So these levies, I am not sure what use they are required for. But Queen’s College Old Girls’ Association (QCOGA) has always supported the school in every way and we contributed a hostel to the boarding house. So is the levy the issue now? Or should we be focusing on raising the standard of education to the point where we do not even need these levies?” she asked.
If the government is stopping the levy, a move he supports, Victor Olabimtan, a former Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, said it must be ready to bridge the ga.
“Cancelling the PTA levy is reasonable to some extent. But the federal government should take up full responsibility of funding the schools. I am knowledgeable of the affairs in the Federal Unity Schools, and the funding is inadequate. The money being provided by the PTA which is always remitted through the designated Banks is verifiable and has been helping the schools tremendously.
“Federal Ministry of Education should take a Census of all Unity Schools across the country and know the cost implication of funding,study the level of assistance the schools are getting through PTA levy ad determine how to allocate more funds to take charge of the abolished levy”
