The Nation Newspaper

Tag: school fees

  • ‘I don’t want to base IGR on high school fees’

    Mr Lateef Ademola Olatunji is the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State. A PhD holder in Economics, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). In this interview with FREDRICK ADEGBOYE, Olatunji speaks on his plans for the polytechnic and what he hopes to leave behind.

    What are your challenges since you assumed office as the Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Offa in January 2017?

    Yes, normally, it has boiled down to paucity of funds. You know, it’s not easy, every institution in Nigeria is struggling to make ends meet when it comes to funds and maintaining the decaying infrastructure in our institutions. So, the greatest challenge is how to have more funds to do more things because for anybody to excel, you need funds.

    What are doing in revenue generation?

    When I came in, there were so many things that were absent. For instance, we just started water. In the area of collaboration, you witnessed our matriculation with the Federal University of Technology, Minna. We have started IJMB (Interim Joint Matriculation Board) programmes too. We’re doing A-Levels in collaboration with Ahmadu Bello University.

    There are many things that are coming in to increase our internally generated revenue which have not been before. And, fortunately, we have one of the cheapest tuition in Nigeria. I don’t want to base my IGR on tuition by increasing it. We don’t do that here. You can ask anybody. For instance, look at our hostels, it’s N10,000. We still have school fees of our HND, pegged at N16, 000 per session. So, we’re trying in the area of improving our IGR. And by His grace, by the next session, many things would join the ones I’ve just mentioned.

    You’re a chartered accountant. How would you compare the accounting curricula in the universities with what obtains in the polytechnics?

    I think in the area of accounting, the polytechnics do better. If you go to places like YABATECH (Yaba College of Technology), before many of those students graduate, they are already chartered accountants. This means that the curricula of polytechnics are richer than that of those of universities viz a viz the ICAN requirements.

    But despite that, one still finds disparity in pay and placement between HND and BSc holders in the labour market?

    Yes, the government is trying all means possible to address it. In some states, they have removed the disparity. I know the government would do something about it. It’s a long tradition and people are made to believe polytechnic students are sub-standard and the government is trying to correct this. Now within the government circle, when you come in as HND and BSc graduates, they would start the both of you on the same level. So, I think the disparity is mostly in the private sector.

     OK, which day would you say has been your greatest joy, especially since you became the rector?

    You all knew Federal Polytechnic Offa. But since I took over the mantle of leadership, there has not been any crisis in the polytechnic. There has not been any closing of gates by staff, students or the unions.

     But it was in the news some time ago that some students were rusticated for being cultists…

    (cuts) Not in my administration.

    And which day would you say has been a sad one for you here?

    Well, my own cross has been when people don’t carry the right story. Like when I read that a student committed suicide based on handout. The story was not true.

    In Offa Poly here?

    Yes! We lost one of our students but one of the national newspapers reported that the student committed suicide because of handout. Those things are not true. When you hear those  things, people would be calling you from all over the world, asking what was happening. Immediately, we debunked the story.

    What legacy would you like to leave?

    Number one, I want this institution to rank first in the area of accreditation; that all our courses would be accredited. Number two, I want to mount new programmes in almost all the departments. I’ve charged the various head of departments that they should come up with programmes that are sellable; programmes that would allow the students to be self-dependent. Three, I want to ensure laboratories across all departments to be fully stocked with equipment. Currently, if you go to our Department of Mass Communication, we have one of the best equipment anybody can boast of. Look at the departments of Computer Engineering and Computer Science too. So, those are the legacies I want to leave.

  • Mr Jollof, AY, vow to sponsor education of little girl sent home from school for non-payment of fees

    A YOUNG school girl in Warri, Delta state, Success, has gained the attention of Nigerians after she was spotted being outspoken about how she was beaten up by her teachers for her parent’s inability to pay her school fees

    The little girl had been sent home from school for not paying her school fees and she complained about the punishment. Success even revealed that she would rather be flogged than being sent home.

    Since the video went viral on Instagram, a number of Nigerians have reacted in various ways. Many people found the girl’s action funny while others were saddened that she would be denied an education over her parent’s inability to pay her fees.

    Instagram comedian and politician, Mr Jollof, took it a notch higher by promising to grant Success scholarship to her university level.

    “Please who can locate this child for me ? I will give her scholarship till she graduates from university Please anyone with useful information should contact me THANK YOU”

    Another comedian, Ayo Makun, who had successfully reached the child revealed that she reminded him of another young boy, Taju, whose life improved after Nigerian celebs came to his aid.

    He also advised Nigerians to help little kids around them that are in similar situations

  • Celebrities sets to fund girl sent home for non-payment of school fees

    Comedian, Ayo Makun a.k.a AY, has launched an appeal fund for a little girl sent away from school in Delta State over her parents’ inability to pay her fees.

    The little girl identified as Success, became an internet sensation on Wednesday after a video of her reacting angrily to her ordeal went viral on social media.

    In the video recorded by a neighbour, the young girl said she would rather be flogged for non-payment of school fees rather than sent away from school.

    Her story went viral with AY and other celebrities requesting for information on how to locate her.

    Also, Instagram comedian and politician, Mr Jollof, moved by the viral video called out on any Nigerian who knew her whereabouts’, promising to grant Success scholarship up to university level.

    He wrote: “Please who can locate this child for me? I will give her scholarship till she graduates from university.

    ‘’ Please anyone with useful information should contact me, THANK YOU” He wrote.

    AY, who had successfully reached the child revealed that she reminded him of another young boy, Taju, whose life improved after Nigerian celebrities came to his aid.

    He also advised Nigerians to help little kids around them that are in similar situations.

    Other Nigerian celebrities who were also moved by Success’s story took to social media to react.

    READ ALSO: RONKE ODUSANYA: Our prime purpose in life as helpers

    Toke Makinwa took to her Instagram page to explain that no child should be put under such pressure.

    She wrote ‘I am so sick to my stomach watching this. No child should be put under pressure; no child should be humiliated and made to suffer for wanting a better life.

    Since the video went viral on Instagram, a number of Nigerians have reacted in various ways.

    Many people found the girl’s action funny while others were saddened that she would be denied an education over her parent’.

    In most Nigerian schools, fee defaulters are usually sent home after being flogged.

    Other celebrities who have indicated willingness to help include Charles Okpaleke, Jim Ikye and others.

    NAN

  • Presidential Amnesty Programme not owing school fees —Coordinator

    Prof. Charles Dokubo, Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Porgramme, has refuted allegations that it had failed to pay the school fees of some beneficiaries.

    He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja that those who were alleging that they had not been paid either came into the programme through the “back door’’ or had personally decided to extend their degree programme.

    He said, “There is no other stipend that has not been paid, anything you hear about sometimes it is either people have been misinformed. We have a record in our office on those who are on stipends, others went into the programme through the back door.

    “If I identify those who came in through the back door,  most times  I don’t pay them because it is eating  deep into the budget that you were not part of. So I don’t pay.

    “Although sometimes I have a conscience because I say (to myself that) these people are Niger Deltans, how can we send our children out into the streets.

    “But we have to look at a way we can manage it so it does not eat deep into our budget and yet manage them because they are from Niger Delta.

    “Furthermore, there is also that idea of after your first degree you want to continue to do a Masters’ degree while you were just sent there to do a first degree, you go and register yourself and then go on protesting that the amnesty is not paying you your money.

    “Everything that those who complain and protest say we have to take with a bucket of salt because amnesty cannot send their students and refuse to pay their school fees.

    “People claim that they have not been paid and all that but if you check the records we pay those who are not getting payment is that they have finished their studies and have refused to come back.’’

    While also commenting on the issue of payment of back log of stipends, Dokubo said since he was appointed he had tried to pay most of the outstanding backlog.

    He stressed that payment of stipend was an important factor in maintaining the peace and security in the region.

    According to him, “if you do not pay them, they will go on a rampage, so in recent times I paid about three months at a time, so that this people could have money and I could have my rest.”

    He added that he had recently put the office on an alert situation where they do not have to wait till the end of the month to pay.

    The Professor, however, noted that the people saw they stipend as a sense of entitlement which affected the people involved in the programme.

    “If you have been empowered, given a job and been trained, you have to disengage from the programme. That is what I am trying to do and I believe I will l do that with the support of the staff I have in my office.’’

    On the issue of a recent report on mismanagement and corruption in the programme, the amnesty boss said he set up a committee to look into it when he was appointed.

    “I set up a committee to look into the organisation when I just took office, before I started work, they made a commendation for me, they have seen where they are loopholes and also were they are deep holes.

    “So definitely these holes have been closed, I cannot go into how it happened and all that but this committee I set up made it possible for me to close such holes.

    “You know when you come into a place if you do not look at if carefully before you start doing things you also will also be trouble and then that office is a very dangerous office.

    “Even if you are doing all the best you can, there are people to put you at a disadvantage, so you  are always on top of the job , looking at  it as if where is the next one coming.

    “You cannot stop it, our people have that sense of contestation and protestation, it has been imbibed either through a period of conflict in the region, so we will try to deal with it at our own time.’’

  • Man sued over school fees

    A woman, Hajara Muhammad, has sued her former husband, Abdulkadir Muhammad, at Sharia Court l Magajin Gari, Kaduna State, for failing to pay the school fees of their three children.

    She told the court that her ex-husband had failed in his responsibilities as a father to their children after their divorce four years ago.

    The complainant, who said she had been feeding the children and paying their school fees, prayed the court to compel Abdulkadir to take full responsibility of the children.

    The defendant, however, admitted failing to carry out the responsibilities, blaming it on the present harsh economic situation.

    He, however, pleaded with the court to allow him to be giving his estranged wife N10, 000 monthly as feeding allowance for the three children and also pay their school fees.

    The judge, Malam Dahiru Lawal, said it was the responsibility of a father to cater for his children.

    He said fathers must work hard to provide for their families.

    Lawal ordered the defendant to send monthly feeding allowance to his children and take care of their school fees.

     

     

     

  • CBN stops charges on BTA, PTA, school fees, medicals

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday abolished all charges on the sale of foreign exchange for invisible transactions such as Business Travel Allowance (BTA), Personal Travel Allowance (PTA), school fees and medical bills payment abroad

    A circular to all authorised dealers signed by CBN Director, Trade and Exchange Department, W.D Gotring, stated that charging of commissions on retail foreign exchange transactions have been abolished. He said that compliance to the directive is  with immediate effect.

    Meanwhile, the inter-bank Foreign Exchange Market has received $210 million from the CBN to meet customers’ requests in various segments of the market.

    The CBN offered $100 million to authorised dealers in the wholesale segment of the market, while the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) segment got the sum of $55 million.

    The figures also indicated that customers needing foreign exchange for invisibles such as tuition fees, medical payments and BTA, among others, were also allocated the sum of $55 million.

    The bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, Isaac Okorafor, assured Nigerians that the bank will continue to intervene in the interbank foreign exchange market, in line with its pledge to sustain liquidity in the market and maintain stability.

    Meanwhile Abokifx.com yesterday said the naira closed at N383 to dollar in the parallel market, a figure that was immediately refuted by the President, Association of Bureaux De Change operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Aminu Gwadabe, describing it as misleading and an attempt to recreate panic in the market.

    He said the body will continue to support the CBN to sustain ongoing stability in the forex market even as it is planning to float a new website that will present objective position of the market.

    He said the naira closed at N362 to dollar yesterday and will continue to be stable.

  • Agatha Ibeazor: I forfeited Law admission in Nigeria because of school fees

    Agatha Ibeazor: I forfeited Law admission in Nigeria because of school fees

    Currently studying for her PhD in Vocal Music at West Virginia University, Agatha Ibeazor, an alumnus of the MTN Foundation sponsored MUSON Scholars programme, who was the first African to graduate with honours from the Music department of Truman State University, US, has excelled in the field of opera. Agatha who was in Nigeria during the yuletide talks about her singing and academic sojourn in this interview. Excerpts

    WHAT brings you home?     

    Since 2013 I have always been invited by the Abuja Metropolitan Music Society (AMEMUSO) to an annual event called, Opera Abuja. This event showcases international classical musicians including Nigerians and foreign artists. It is organized in collaboration with German and French Embassies, Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Ministry, and a host of other organisations in Nigeria. This year’s happens to be around the Christmas holidays. So I stayed in Nigeria afterwards, visited my family and sang at some concerts. One of the major ones happen to be the 2017 Ovation Red Carol.

    After your graduation from the Truman State University in the United States of America, what have you been doing since?

    Before I graduated from Truman in 2014, I had gotten two offers of admission for a Masters Degree program at Crane School of Music SUNY Potsdam New York and Butler School of Music University of Texas Austin. I was unable to attend either due to lack of funds. I spent the next year studying and acquiring skills to make me a suitable candidate for possibly a research fellowship or a graduate assistantship at various institutions to which I applied.

    In 2015, I was admitted at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) with a full graduate teaching assistantship receiving a full tuition waiver and monthly stipend. I graduated in 2017 with a Master of Arts degree with all A’s (4.0 GPA). I won several awards and was first place winner in several competitions during my studies at UCM, some of which include the Quistorff Aria Competition and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition held in Kansas City.

    I am currently pursuing my PhD in vocal music at the West Virginia University (WVU) where I received a W.E.B Dubois research fellowship. This fellowship is only open to African American/Black graduate students that are exceptional with excellent grades. I hope to graduate in May, 2020. So far, in my studies here at WVU, I won the NATS Tri-state chapter competition held in Pittsburgh.

    Are you attached to any big-name opera houses or do you have your own thing?

    Because I am an academic, I have not yet signed contracts with major opera houses in the US or Europe as I would love to get the highest level of qualification in the education before I begin touring the world as an international opera singer. Getting the highest level in academia is very important to me. This would equip me to be able to make the kind of impact I would like to make in Nigeria. Education first, stage appearances and signing contracts in opera houses would come later.

    However, I have been very active with the opera theatre of each school I had attended, including my current school of WVU, singing lead roles in different operas. In Feb. 2016, I was afforded the opportunity to sing in the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York as a soloist with the UCM concert choir. This was a dream come true for me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of performing in this hall.

    Have you been able to, in any way, influence young people who have the same talent as you, but are unaware of how to go about grooming it?

    Whenever I visit Nigeria, I announce on my Facebook page about giving master classes to the young classical musicians at the Muson Center. I talk to them about different careers in music and even scholarship opportunities in the United States. These visits are very dear to my heart as there are an overwhelming number of undiscovered potentials in Nigeria.

    What is your relationship with the MUSON school of Music where you received your training?

    Receiving an education from MUSON and being sponsored by the MTN Foundation is the one of the greatest things that happened to my career and for now, that is my strongest link with these two organisations. However, I would like a better relationship. I am using this opportunity to propose annual recitals or concerts in MUSON where the MTN Foundation can showcase a product of theirs and keep track of the successes of the students that they’ve helped, not just in Nigeria but in the world.

    How do you think the classical music landscape can be revamped in Nigeria?

    I think classical music in Nigeria needs a larger audience. The potential for Nigerian classical musicians being acknowledged as top artists in this field is very promising and with more awareness, we can be unstoppable.

    What are your views on the Nigerian music scene generally?

    Oh lovely, absolutely lovely! The Nigerian music industry is big and keeps getting bigger, and I am proud of it.

    Where do you see yourself in another five years?

    Well in five years, you would have to address me as Dr. Agatha (laughs)… I see myself touring the world singing recitals and giving master classes. But most importantly, I would love to take great strides in making a significant impact in my beloved country, Nigeria. I have big dreams for making Nigeria a better place; that is why getting the highest degree of education possible is a big deal to me.

    Looking back to when you were still in school in Nigeria, what will you say is the best thing that ever happened to you?

    As you may know, I had to forfeit an admission to study Law in Anambra State University in 2006 because my mum could not afford the fees. Being able to attend school in the first place was the best thing that happened, and this is thanks to the MTN Foundation. I was not only afforded tuition when I got accepted at the MUSON School of Music, but also transport allowance. That was the beginning of greater things to come.

    How can you rate the MUSON educational standard with the one in the United States

    The educational standard is very comparable. Because of the level of training I received at MUSON, my transition into the American system was a lot smoother than anticipated and for this I am grateful.

    Do you have any plans of seeking corporate endorsements and collaborations with your project?

    Oh yes! I have lots of plans in the very nearest future. First, I would like to start from my roots, where my formal musical training all started and the company that helped pay for it, MTN. I also have exciting musical plans for other companies and because classical music is a very unique art form, these plans are looking very promising.

    How do your family members view you now?

    Really, nothing has changed even with my achievements. I am still the troublesome younger sibling to my three older siblings (laughs). My mum still shouts at me when I get home late (laughs), my younger brother still thinks the world of me, and my older sisters still jokingly try to sing like me when I practice. I love my family so much and we are still very close even though not physically close. I talk to them all the time and social media has made it a whole lot easier.

    What are your plans to break into the Nigerian music scene using classical music?

    My plans are to record and collaborate with Nigerian pop musicians – some kind of fusion of classical music and Nigerian pop music – and I am so excited about this. Nigerian pop music is so beautiful, and it gains momentum each day. A collaboration is an efficient way to get classical music into the hearts of Nigerians. Hopefully after this, when Nigerians get used to me and my style of music, I can then record some classical albums in Nigeria.

    The last edition of The Voice Nigeria had a classical singer as one of the contestants. Do you think a classical singer can win a reality show in Nigeria?

    I think it would take a while before this becomes a reality, but it is very possible.

    Any last words?

    With the rough conditions of living in Nigeria, it is conceivable and even understandable that we young people have forgotten about the power of a dream. I want to use this opportunity to encourage us to keep dreaming, keep focusing on that dream, and keep looking for ways to make the dream a reality. The life I have now, use to be a dream.

  • Fed Govt pays N164.7m school fees for Chibok girls at AUN

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N164.7 million for the payment of second semester school fess of the freed 106 Chibok schoolgirls at the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa State.

    The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said in a statement that the President expressed satisfaction over the progress so far made in the rehabilitation of the freed Chibok schoolgirls.

    According to him, Buhari expressed his feelings while reviewing the progress report on the affected girls.

    He said the report was submitted to the President in line with his commitment to personally monitor the rehabilitation and reintegration into society of the freed Chibokgirls.

    Shehu said the President also assured that the government would continue to provide full support for their education.

    The statement reads: “The President has approved payment of the sum of N164,763,759 million  for the second semester school fees of the 106 Chibok girls at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola.

    “According to the progress report received by the President, the decision to pursue avenues in addition to military action to free the abducted girls is in the resolve to protect the lives of all Nigerians.

    “To end the insurgency in the Northeast of the country, and to fulfill one of the campaign promises of the President.

    “In line with this, the Federal Government entered into negotiations with the Boko Haram terrorist group for the release of the Chibok girls who were kidnapped from their school dormitory on the night of April 14, 2014.

    “So far, two batches of 21 and 82 girls have been freed as a result of those negotiations.

    “Three additional girls were rescued by the gallant efforts of our armed forces, bringing the total number of freed Chibok girls so far to 106.”

    Shehu noted that as a result of their experiences while in captivity, the freed girls were severely traumatised and afflicted by various ailments and injuries.

    He stated that the girls were taken to secured medical centres for attention.

    The statement further reads: “They also went through debriefing and de-radicalisation by security operatives, after which the girls were handed over to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

    “The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development was assigned the main role in supervising the rehabilitation and reintegration of the girls back into society.

    “Long before the girls were released, the Federal Government had established the ‘Chibok Girls Desk’ in the ministry, responsible for acting on matters relating to the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, and serving as a channel of communication between relevant agencies and the parents and relatives of the abducted girls.”

    The media aide said that the Ministry of Women Affairs, in collaboration with the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), UN Women and other donour agencies, embarked on programmes earmarked to facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of the Chibok girls with a nine-month timeframe.

    According to Shehu, a hostel in the National Centre for Women Development was converted into a suitable shelter, where the girls were kept for the nine-month period.

    “The programme, which began in January, ended in September 2017. During the period, the 106 girls were given lessons in English, Mathematics, Biology, Agriculture, and Civic Education. In addition, they were trained on ICT and vocational skills.

    “Professionals were engaged to provide them with psychosocial therapy and one-on-one counseling to help them overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

    The Presidential spokesman  noted that the girls were also provided with religious instruction and comprehensive care by two in-house doctors and two nurses.

    He said periodic visits from the girls’ parents to stimulate family support and reunion were sponsored and organised by the ministry.

    “Having successfully achieved the desired goals of the rehabilitation and reintegration programme, with recorded significant improvement in the academic performance of the girls, in September, a final send-off party was organised for the 106 Chibok girls.

    “They were subsequently moved to the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola for their foundation studies and continuation of their education.”

    He disclosed that the AUN had successfully established a foundation school for 14 out of the 57 Chibok girls who earlier escaped when the rest of their classmates were taken to the Sambisa Forest by Boko Haram in 2014.

    The presidential aide observed that the absorption of the girls into the AUN marked the beginning of their integration into the larger society, thus fulfilling Buhari’s promise of providing the best education for them.

    “Although they have been officially handed over to their parents, the Federal Government will continue to be responsible for the payment of the Chibok girls’ school fees up to their graduation,”  Shehu said.

  • Parents have a choice not to pay unjustifiable ‘school fees’

    Parents have a choice not to pay unjustifiable ‘school fees’

    Unwarranted fees abound in both private and public schools in the form of admission, examination, end of the session party, school uniform, among others. These, no doubt, are encouraged by management of these schools; putting parents under undue pressure. Omolara Akintoye explores this trend.

    In spite of the laudable efforts being made by the Federal Government towards ensuring access to education for all children of school age through its education policies, there are emerging indications that some of those entrusted with the management of the public and private schools are compromising the education programme or at best, making things difficult for parents.

    Investigations by The Nation Correspondent reveal that various fees are being charged by some of the school heads, thereby defrauding parents whose children and wards study in these schools.

    In some private schools visited by The Nation, it was gathered that parents were being asked to pay some huge sums of money in the name of admission fees, end of the session party, registration fees, examination fees, school uniforms, among others.

    A visit to some areas in the Lagos environs such as Alimosho, Shomolu, Bariga, Yaba, Eti-Osa local government areas confirmed this. A parent, Mr. Olaitan (not real name), whose daughter is hoping to gain admission into Queens College, Lagos, but is not on the merit admission list lamented his predicament. He revealed how while he was ruing his daughter’s miss, one of the teachers in the school walked up to him and told him to go and bring the sum of N350, 000.00, so that her name could appear on the list.

    At the time of writing this piece, Olaitan said he had been able to pay N200, 000.00 and hoped to pay the balance once his daughter’s name is out.

    Explaining why he had to toe this line, Olaitan said he had no regrets. His logic: ‘I will only pay this money once. Subsequent ones will be less and since I want the best for my child, I had to pay up.”

    He said taking his daughter to a private school is not an option, because, “For you to send your child to a private boarding school, you will be paying as high as N350, 000.00 every session, which I definitely cannot afford.”

    He said payment of illegal fees is not limited to Queens College alone, arguing that it’s a common thing in other unity schools. “In Kings College, you will pay a sum of N200, 000 if the name of your child is not on the list while in Federal Government College, Ijanikin, you may pay up to N250,000.00.”

    The Nation’s finding also show that some school’s place more priority on end of the session fees. Mrs. Uju Ugbonna, whose child is a student in a private school, lamented that in her son’s school, it is compulsory to pay the end of the session party fees for your ward at the beginning of the session. Her words: “Even if you are yet to finish paying the school fees, it doesn’t matter; but that of the party fee is considered very important.”

    When asked if the government was aware of these unjustifiable fees, the reply of Mr. Segun Ogundeji, Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Ministry of Education during a brief interview, was “Yes, the government is aware and plans are on to clamp down on culprit schools and sanction them.”

    In Etche, Obio-Akpor Local Government and other remote area of Rivers State, parents in most public schools are being made to pay various forms of illegal fees, such as N1, 000 examination fees per pupil.

    A parent, who spoke to our correspondent, explained that her children forfeited their terminal examinations due to her inability to pay the examination fee.

     “I don’t understand what examination fee means, when our government has declared free education in the state. Does it mean that setting and marking examination papers are not part of the jobs of the teachers?” She queried.

    The respondent also remarked that they spend a lot on security of the school and in keeping the premises clean for conducive academic activities.

    Another parent, a widow, who does not want her name in print, pleaded with the state government, particularly the authorities of the Ministry of Education to make public all fees not covered by the free education policy, as a guide to parents.

    She equally enjoined school supervisors to wake up from their slumber and uncover those behind illegal fees in schools, as well as those in authority who are giving them cover.

    For some parents, the complaint is in the area of textbooks. Most schools, they lament, will compel parents to pay for textbooks at the beginning of the session but the children don’t get some of the books until the second or even third term. Mr. Kolawole Omoniyi, a parent in a unity school said, “If the schools don’t have those books, they can ask parents to purchase them outside, because when you pay and the children don’t get to use such textbooks until the second or third term, then the purpose, to some extent, is defeated.”

    Ogundeji, of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, does not see any reason why private schools should not make books available to students at the beginning of the session, once the parents have paid for them.

    He however attributed the part of schools not giving text books to children to take home in the lower classes, to the fact that they may still be too young to handle the books with care, explaining that “at the end of the session, they take the books home.”

    On the end of the session fees, Ogundeji said it should be voluntary and “schools should not force parents who cannot afford to pay for such party.” He said most parents usually pay up because they want to satisfy the yearning of their wards, who usually don’t want them to miss out of the fun.

    Ogundeji pointed out that in as much as the end of the session fee is important, parents have a choice to either pay for it or not.

  • Stanbic IBTC offers school fees payment solutions

    Stanbic IBTC offers school fees payment solutions

    As schools reopen for another term, Stanbic IBTC Bank, a member of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, has again reassured parents and guardians of the bank’s readiness to help offset the financial burden of paying their children/wards fees through its school fees payment solutions.

    The bank said it has a bouquet of educational products and payment solutions such as the school fees facility, Short Term Loans, Salary Advance (SALAD) for salaried workers and its payment cards that parents can easily access and use to pay the school fees of the wards of account holders.

    According to the bank, the prepaid cards are available to load pocket money for children/wards while the credit cards, which currently offer a 55-day interest moratorium, can be used to seamlessly pay school fees. The school fees payment solutions underline the importance the financial institution attaches to education, it added.

    Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC, Babatunde Macaulay, said the development of the educational products is the bank’s way of showing that it cares about its customers as well as the educational development of their wards. According to him, the bank understands that education is the bedrock of personal and societal growth and development. “At Stanbic IBTC, we are attuned to the needs of our customers and we regularly strive to provide innovative financial and payment solutions tailored to those needs,” Macaulay said.

    “Stanbic IBTC, he added, “will continue to develop products and services to support the attainment of quality education. The school fees loan is a fast, simple and convenient way by which customers can meet their short term financial obligations to educate their children. And the repayment terms are very convenient.”

    Other benefits of the school fees loans, according to Macaulay, include low interest rates, access to a revolving line of credit, flexible repayment terms, and the opportunity to access credit up to 100 per cent of the customer’s income. With schools resuming for a new term, the school fees loans will help to alleviate the financial burden parents and guardians may face in paying school fees.