…As NAPPS, AFED React
There are palpable fears amongst owners of private schools in Rivers State who secured provisional approval in the recent verification exercise by the Education Ministry that their schools could be shut down by the end of the March, 2020. This followed a directive purportedly from the State Ministry of Education requesting owners of private schools in the State to pay ‘Approval Fees’ of between N650,000 and N300,000 respectively or may not be given operational licenses .
Some private schools owners who spoke to National Network on condition of anonymity, appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike to compel the Education Ministry to reduce the fees to affordable cost. They sought the governor’s intervention, saying that they had spent so much to equip and standardized the schools during the verification exercise which enabled them to secure provisional approval from the Ministry.
It would be recalled that the State Education Commissioner, Professor Kaniye Ebeku had in a statement directed proprietors of all private schools in the State to “visit the Rivers State Education Management Information System (RivEmis) platform to pay their approval fees as a precondition for the issuance of approval certificate”.
According to the school owners, while this directive from the Commissioner was vague and was not specific on how much they would pay as the approval fee, an unsigned directive from the Ministry of Education was sent out to all private schools proprietors wherein a jumbo fee of N650,000 and N300,000 respectively were demanded with explicit instruction to make the payment on or before March 31, 2020.
The directive which was sent to the proprietors through their Whatsapp platforms read: “Payment of Approval Fees. The Rivers State Ministry of Education has commenced the collection of Approval Fees from all private schools approved by the State Government in 2019.
To this end, all approved private schools are required to make their school approval payment via the RIVEMIS platform on or before the 31st of March 2020. Renewal Fees will not be recognized.
Schools who make their approval payment will be issued Approval License/Certificate to operate in the state.
Details of the payment are as follows:
Nursery/Primary Schools: N350,000.00
Secondary Schools: N300,000.00
One of the school proprietors who would not disclose his identity, whose school is based at Woji Town in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area affirmed that while it is reasonable to pay a fee to secure government approval and legitimize operation, government should consider the affordability of such fees.
“They should realize that all fingers are not equal. We have what I would call A-list, B-list, C-list schools in that order. I thought that government should have some high profile schools should not be made to pay same rate as the low profile ones. We are all pursuing same objective which is to provide education to our children to become leaders of tomorrow”, he said.
When contacted on phone, State Chairman of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Dr. (Mrs.) Roberta Tamunotekena Dosunmu said they have received the directive but added that a meeting has been convened to discuss the issue and take a position.
When reminded that some of her members are decrying the high cost of the approval fees, the Chairman requested such members to forward their complaints to NAPPS, assuring that all such complaints would be looked into at the meeting.
National Network also reached out the Rivers State Chairman of Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), Pastor Joe Udechi to get his reaction. He said his members are in receipt of the government’s directive but appealed for extension of the March 31, 2020 deadline.
The AFED Chairman who welcomed the payment of an approval fee however appealed for a downward review of the amount, stressing that government should take into consideration the reality of the current economic hardship in the country.
