Osun Public Schools: Parents Allege Excessive Levies Despite N500 Government Fee

Parents and guardians of pupils in some public schools across Osun State have raised concerns over alleged excessive charges, with some schools reportedly demanding between ₦12,000 and ₦24,000 per student per term despite the state government’s approved ₦500 Education Trust Levy (ETL).

The allegations were contained in an investigative report published by Osun Defender Newspaper, which indicated that the charges vary from one school to another, with parents also reportedly required to provide items such as brooms, dustpans, laundry baskets, markers, disinfectants, canes and tissue paper.

According to the report, Osogbo Grammar School allegedly collects ₦24,000 per student without issuing receipts, while students in JSS 1 at Saint Francis Grammar School, Modakeke, are reportedly charged ₦22,000, alongside ₦500 for report sheets.

Similarly, parents at Fakunle Unity Grammar School, Stadium Area, Osogbo, were said to pay ₦16,000 per term, while Surajudeen Primary School allegedly collects ₦13,000 per pupil.

A guardian sponsoring six children at Saint Francis Grammar School, Modakeke, reportedly said he paid ₦132,000 in the previous term, excluding the cost of books.

“They collected ₦22,000 per child, that is ₦132,000 for six children, excluding books. Where do they expect poor parents to get such money in a government school?” the guardian, who requested anonymity, was quoted as saying.

The report further stated that parents at Laro Grammar School, Oke-Fia, Osogbo, were allegedly given a list of 18 compulsory items to provide for their children. They were also reportedly required to purchase textbooks within the school premises at prices ranging from ₦4,800 to ₦5,800 per copy.

Reacting to the allegations, the Osun State Chairman of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), Comrade Fadare Moshood, reportedly said the association was not aware of the development. However, he suggested that the collections might have resulted from arrangements among public secondary school principals under the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS).

The Osun State President of ANCOPSS, Comrade Muyiwa Oladipo, declined to comment directly on the allegations, directing the newspaper to the state Ministry of Education for an official response.

“I’m not in the position to respond to your questions; you rather contact Ministry of Education for any response on the issues mentioned in your questions,” Oladipo was quoted as saying.

However, the Osun State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Dipo Eluwole, maintained that the government-approved Education Trust Levy was ₦500 per term, while students in mega schools pay an additional ₦2,000 for school maintenance.

According to the commissioner, the ₦500 levy is returned to schools as a running grant to support maintenance, while other collections are determined by PTAs.

Eluwole explained that the financial needs of individual schools differ, making it difficult for the government to prescribe a uniform amount for all institutions.

“It is very difficult for the government to regularise it, because the needs of different schools differ from each other,” he reportedly said.

He cited the example of one school deciding to purchase a new bus while another might opt to repair an existing vehicle, noting that such differences could influence the amount charged to parents.

However, the commissioner’s position reportedly contrasted with the PTA chairman’s claim that the association was unaware of the alleged collections.

The report also noted that the commissioner did not clarify whether any disciplinary action had been initiated against the affected school authorities or whether queries had been issued over the alleged charges.

A follow-up enquiry was reportedly sent to the commissioner seeking clarification on whether the principals of Osogbo Grammar School, Laro Grammar School and Fakunle Unity Grammar School had been queried over the allegations. The newspaper said it had yet to receive a response at the time of publication.

Meanwhile, some parents, guardians and stakeholders appealed to Governor Ademola Adeleke to intervene and ensure that school authorities found culpable were appropriately sanctioned.

They also called for measures to address alleged compulsory collections and the sale of instructional materials in public primary and secondary schools across the state.

A civil society stakeholder, Citizen Lola Wey, reportedly argued that the alleged practices contravened Section 13 of the Osun Child Rights Law 2013, which guarantees free and compulsory basic education for children.

Wey called for a ban on unauthorised demands for materials from students and urged the state government to reissue its circular on free education in public schools.

She also disclosed that she had taken up the matter in her capacity as a Child Rights Ambassador, pledging to pursue advocacy and public enlightenment programmes across the state to address the concerns.

Credit: Osun Defender Newspaper.