The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, announced on Friday that the Federal Government plans to establish a formal negotiation team to address the recent increase in tuition fees for schools nationwide.
This team will consist of the Parent-Teacher Association and other relevant stakeholders, who will come together to find a solution to the problem.
Dr Sununu made this statement during a news conference held in Abuja to mark the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
He expressed concern that the rise in school fees could be a significant factor contributing to the various attacks happening in schools.
Furthermore, the minister highlighted that the Federal Government had already ratified the Safe School Declaration in December 2019.
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As part of this commitment, a safe school policy has been developed to protect the right to education during emergency situations
He said, “So many areas that require finances are being attacked but we must also look at the constitutional provisions. The constitution expressly states free education but with a caveat, ‘when government can afford’ and that is why it also comes as voluntary contributions by all stakeholders. When we say safety in schools, it is a collective responsibility. So, we are going to encourage formal negotiations.
“Where we cannot provide, it is to encourage PTA and relevant institutions so that we can agree to a term that is acceptable to all of us. Also, we will encourage a lot of partnerships as part of areas that can bring peace. Whether we agree or not, we must appreciate the role of PTAs in sustaining services in lots of our schools at both local and federal levels.
“So, while we do that with scarce resources at the ministry level, we try to see how we can block leakages and see how more funds can be available to schools to ensure that quality education is affordable, acceptable to every Nigerian without decreasing the quality of education.”
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