Parents express outrage as Lagos government increases boarding school fee from N35,000 to N100,000
Parents and guardians of students of Lagos model colleges have expressed total disappointment in the Lagos State Government for increasing the boarding fee of the students from N35,000 to N100,000 per term.
Olufemi Asaolu, the director of basic education services at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, wrote to the principals of all public boarding schools in the state on Friday.
The letter is titled “Review of boarding fees in all public secondary schools in Lagos state for 2024/2025 session”.
Asaolu said the education commissioner approved the increase of public school boarding fee from N35,000 to N100,000 per term.
He said no additional fee of any form should be collected by the schools.
“I have the directive of the honourable commissioner to inform all public boarding house schools in Lagos state that the state government has approved the review of the boarding fee payable in all public boarding house schools in Lagos State,” the letter reads in part.
“The newly approved fee is N100,000 only.”
-Asaolu added that the state government has set the resumption date of the schools for September 15.
The students were supposed to resume originally last Sunday, 7th of September, alongside their peers in other primary and secondary schools in the state, but their resumption date was shifted by one week which was Sunday, 15th of September.
Model colleges are special secondary schools owned by the state government and spread across the six educational districts of the state.
They are 16 in all, operating boarding facilities except Vetland Grammar School, Ifako- Ijaiye, which is being run as a day school.
Some parents of students of Oriwu Model College in Ikorodu, Lagos State, on Sunday protested against the sudden increase of boarding fees by the state Government.
In a peaceful demonstration on Sunday at the school gate, the parents demanded immediate reversal of the fees.
-Mr Kazeem Oladuni, Chairman, Parents Forum Association, PFA, Oriwu College, appealed to the state Ministry of Education to return to the old fees to enable their ward resume school.
“Our children were supposed to resume on September 9, but we received a memo that one week has been added, which expired today, September 15.
“To our surprise, another memo came out on September 13, indicating that the boarding fees have been increased from N35,000 to N100,000.
“We held a meeting with Lagos State Coordinator of PFA and resolved that the fees are outrageous for any parent at this time of hardship in the country,” he said.
Ministry speaks after parents’ protest
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Ganiu Lawal, reacting to the protest said that the government is aware of the “dissenting views by some parents”.
He said though the increment was not an easy decision, “it became inevitable as the welfare of the children is a priority for the ministry and the state.”
“The issue of ensuring better welfare for our model college students necessitated the increase in boarding fees,” he said.
Mr Lawal said the state government provides free education across its 1,021 primary schools, 369 junior secondary and 329 senior secondary schools which include 32 model colleges across the state.
He added that the N35,000 boarding fees being paid since 2021 were not realistic in 2024.
He said: “Ideally none of the parents will testify to the reasonability of feeding a child of 12 to 18 years with 35,000 for three months.
“Nutritious food is not just for physical growth but also for mental alertness. We certainly don’t want our students in boarding schools to look gaunt and lack the skill of critical thinking.”
He, therefore, asked for the cooperation of the protesting parents.
“The government takes responsibility for the health and wellbeing of the students while in school. To do this will require full cooperation of all stakeholders. Our parents should show understanding for the sake of the children,” he said.
