Abuja private school owners reject Wike’s fee hike
Following the decision by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike to increase the operating costs of private schools in the capital city, an extraordinary increase in tuition for private schools located in Abuja is about to occur.
Each school will receive a bill under the new tax system based on the amount of tuition paid by students and the total enrollment.
According to a memo obtained by our correspondent on Monday, the development will begin in January 2024 and was signed by Mudi Muhammed, Head of Account, Department of Quality Assurance, Education Secretariat.
Under the heading "Review of Private School Operational Charges in FCT," the memo stated: "After the Honourable Minister of the FCT approved a review of operational charges (annual charge, accreditation, application, re-accreditation,
This letter informs you that the new rate of charges will take effect on January 1, 2024, and the old rate will expire on December 31, 2023.
Each school receives a bill based on the amount of tuition charged and the total number of enrolled students under the new rate. Consequently, every school has a unique bill. It's also important for you to know that all applications are now N40,000.
In a letter to the Education Secretariat, the National Association of Private School Owners in the Federal Capital Territory pointed out that such a tax review at a time when the federal government had promised to eliminate multiple taxes would only drive up the cost of education beyond the means of many parents, increasing the number of children who are not in school.
NAPPS added in the letter, which was signed by its chairperson, Ruqayah Agboola, that the tax review would put additional pressure on private schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by raising their operating expenses.
"Unfortunately, our members rejected the proposal in its entirety," the association stated. They cited a number of issues, including the challenging economic conditions, the sizeable amount of bank loans that remained unpaid in their records, the numerous levies that parents owed the local government and other organisations, and—above all—the failure to pay the salaries of their teachers and other staff members as well as the upkeep of our infrastructure.
Therefore, in order for your office to be able to collect the unpaid dues, our members beg that you use your good offices to effect a 50% reduction in the current annual dues. We'll collaborate. with you to achieve this.”
An association member told our correspondent, speaking on the condition of anonymity, that the organisation intended to write Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and inform the Parents-Teachers Association of the recently implemented tax.
