Lagos govt speaks on boarding fee hike

The Lagos State Government has reacted to the protest staged on Sunday by parents of students of its model colleges over the increase in boarding school fees.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how parents converged on the Eva Adelaja Secondary School on Sunday morning, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards threatening to disrupt school resumption should the government fail to rescind the decision.

The school is one of the more than 10 model colleges with boarding facilities run by the Lagos State Government.

The parents accused the government of only informing them of the hike less than two days before resumption, adding that they were not carried along in the decision process of hiking the fee.

A parent, Segun Bashorun, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on the phone, said they were not allowed to comment on the increments when it was announced on Friday evening.

“They normally give us information and we also respond. But unfortunately when we got that increment notice, they just closed all the platforms so that only the administrators could talk on the platforms,” he said.

Ministry speaks

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Ganiu Lawal, told PREMIUM TIMES on the phone 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 in a reply to PREMIUM TIMES’ request for comments on Sunday.

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.

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“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.