Grappling with exploitative policies of private schools in Nigeria

Education is crucial for the emancipation of the people and development of every society. The fact that in most countries, the government alone cannot effectively provide education for all who desire to be educated makes it necessary for private persons and bodies to complement government’s efforts by establishing schools at all levels of the education sector. But some proprietors of private schools have deviated from their vision of complementing government’s efforts at providing education for the people and made money the bedrock of establishing schools, exploiting parents and guardians across the country, especially in Lagos. CHIJIOKE IREMEKA writes on the need for federal and state ministries of education to monitor and supervise the activities of shylock private schools proprietors in the country.

A lot of stakeholders have expressed concern about what they described as exploitative policies of owners of private schools in the country.

The Guardian’s investigation revealed that majority of the people and bodies establishing private schools believe money should take precedence over sound and qualitative education for Nigerian children.

If the reports of parents and guardians, who spoke to The Guardian on their alleged exploitation by private schools’ proprietors were correct, the government at all levels should move against the situation by monitoring and inspecting the activities of these ubiquitous private school owners.

Mr. Paul Olajide, a parent of two, who lives in FESTAC in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, is one of those who are currently at the mercy of private school proprietors due to the failure or paucity of public primary and secondary schools in the country to carter for their wards.

The 53-year old realtor groans under what he described as gross exploitation of parents who seek better and qualitative education for their wards. To him, the explosion of privates schools is no longer for quality education but for financial gains.

He wants the stakeholders, particularly the federal and state governments, to look into the activities of these schools with a view to checking their exploitative tendencies.

Recounting his regular ordeal in the hands of a private school in Lagos, Olajide said: “I got home from work one Thursday evening and my son in Primary 2 told me that he wasn’t allowed to join other students to the school’s computer room for practical learning for not paying N5, 000 for the exercise. The money was supposed to be part of the school fees I paid at the beginning of the term.

“When I enquired further from him, I got worried and put a call across to his teacher who told me that my ward has to pay an extra N5, 000 if he would continue with the computer training, and I asked what happened to the N110, 000 tuition fees that I paid.

“Already, I had paid N37, 000 for textbooks for the same term; N9, 600 for exercise books and stationaries; N5, 000 for class lesson which commences by 1pm at the time and was supposed to be part of the normal class activities. I also paid N32, 000 for two-way (pick-up and drop-off) school bus transportation.

“Again, I inquired from the teacher to know more about the computer exercise, and she said that the computer teacher comes from outside the school and collects his fees, which wasn’t part of the school fee I paid. When I asked whether going to the computer room was part of the examination requirement, she laughed and said: ‘No sir. It’s just for them to touch and operate computer. The N5, 000 covers the child for a whole term.”

At first, Olajide was angry that his ward was barred from entering the computer room with his mates, and was ready to pay the money in anger. But on the second thought, he asked again, whether the fee was just for his son to operate a computer and learn it, and the teacher responded in the affirmative, an answer that didn’t sit well with him because he knew his son hadn’t been operating computer since he joined the class.

“When I said I was going to give my son my own computer to operate, and that if he is able to turn on and shut down the computer, I would pay for him to continue with the computer training, else I wouldn’t pay, the class teacher laughed and said that the pupils just started the training. But I was aware that they had spent two months. So, I found that excuse lame, coupled with the fact that my son couldn’t shut down the computer, though he could turn it on.”

Olajide eventually told the teacher that he wouldn’t pay since it’s optional, promising to get his son a computer instructor if he really desires to be computer literate at six. “I will not pay N5, 000 per term that would not make my son computer literate.”

Just when he thought he had escaped, he had another experience: “Again, I came back another day, I was told that for my son to play football in the school, I have to pay N5, 000. Playing football is something that is encouraged in every public school as part of physical exercises and skills development and there is no money paid for it.

“These are the things that we didn’t see growing up, but it’s now a big deal in private schools. Also, to join marshal arts in the school, I paid per term a registration fee of N5, 000, and N7, 000 for Karate uniform, totaling N12, 000. I paid development fee too, PTA levy, and lots more.”

The parent lamented: “Private schools have commercialised every activity which is enjoyed in public schools at no cost to the parents. Everything a child does in the school today, the parents have to pay for it. Of course, this is not to mention Christmas party and excursion, among others, for which the parents have to cough out as high as N10, 000 and N5, 000. I wonder what they will be giving the child there.”

What Olajide encountered while training his wards in private schools is not different from what a lot of other parents go through. This is the price the Nigerian parents and guardians have to pay sending their wards to private schools due to government’s failure to make the public schools attractive and well-equipped learning centres as was the case in the glorious past.

It’s more worrisome that the government that cannot provide conducive environment for delivery of quality education, also cannot ensure proper monitoring and supervision of the private schools with a view to ensuring that their operation is also in the best interest of the wards, their parents and the society.

Some stakeholders wonder what the inspectorate departments of the ministries of education at the federal and state levels are doing while the exploitation of the parents and guardians go on unabated.

According to them, if the government had maintained quality in public schools as it was in the 70s and 80s, parents and guardians will not be at the mercy of private school owners who run businesses for profit.

The Guardian learnt that children’s poor access to education in public schools is a fallout of the deteriorating standard and condition of the public schools, overpopulation, inadequate number of qualified teachers and materials particularly for children in remote areas, children living with disabilities, children in IDP camps and ethno-linguistic minorities. All of these have also exposed parents and guardians to exploitation by private schools.

The Child’s Right Act, 2003, in section 15 (1) states: “Every child has the right to free, compulsory and universal basic education and it shall be the duty of the Government in Nigeria to provide such education” while Section 15 (2) states: “Every parent or guardian shall ensure that his child or ward attends and completes his – (a) primary school; and (b) junior secondary education.”

Unfortunately, till date, the Child Rights Act 2003 has been promulgated into law only in 28 states. This means that millions of children in eight states in Nigeria still do not have the appropriate legal framework for their right to free, compulsory and universal basic education. As well, millions of other children in states that have passed the law are not being cared for appropriately because the laws are not being fully implemented.

The Guardian’s investigation revealed that as part of the ways to exploit the parents, a lot of private schools have made it difficult for parents to reduce cost of education by preserving the books used by a pupil for use by the junior ones as was the case in the days of glorious public schools.

“In those days of public schools, our parents used to keep libraries and shelves where they kept the books used by our elder siblings for the younger ones to re-use when they get to that same class. I’m the last born in my house and I can tell you that I read my elder siblings’ books to the point that I desired to have mine,” said Ben Irabor, who wondered how the parents of today cope with the rising schools expenses simultaneously with other family expenditures.

He argued that if the government-owned schools are not exploitative, the private schools in the country being registered by the same government should not be allowed to exploit the parents.

Irabor said: “One of the things my father enjoyed while training us in school was bulk buying of all the exercise books, textbooks and other stationaries. He stocked these books and stationaries. We all made use of the books. Whenever we asked him for a biro or exercise book we easily get them. He never ran out of stock because he used to buy always.

“Then, my father was working at the defunct Alpha Paper Mill Limited, Ogidi in Anambra State. The company used to produce all manner of books. So, he would buy exercise books from the company at cheaper rates. He had a big lock-up shelf where he used to keep all the books and other stationaries.

“He would buy books in different leaves –20, 40, 60, 80 and others. He would buy pencils, biros, rulers, erasers, foolscap sheets, and drawing books. As soon as you report that you need pen or book, he would replace it immediately upon showing him the one (s) you have exhausted.”

Unfortunately, Irabor couldn’t do this for his own children. “This is because the private schools would not allow me to buy these books and stock for my children as they all have customised books they sell to the parents and guardians, which must be used in the school and not any other book.

“Many of these private schools have made mess of this virtue because of the failure of the governments at all levels and their agencies to supervise and monitor shylock school proprietors. Bad enough, you cannot use another exercise book for summer classes in some of these schools, except you buy from the schools. Usually, a week before the school resumes for a new session is when the parents and guardians go to purchase books, stationaries and the uniforms that their wards would use for the session. You now have to buy textbooks, workbooks, exercise books and other customised stationaries on yearly basis,” he lamented.

It was discovered that two children of the same parents in the same class and school would not be allowed to share one textbook in private schools. The parents or the guardian will have to pay for two copies of the same textbooks for the two siblings at the same time.

Also, the parents will not keep the books for the younger children as the private schools have skillfully programmed the pupils to write inside textbooks as well as workbooks.

“This appears a great punishment meted out to the parents and guardians by these schools under the government’s watch. There are allegations that ministry of education and other government’s agencies that register these schools are complicit in this exploitation because they watch these anomalies thrive unchecked,” a parent, Beatrice Ojola, said.

“For instance, a school in FESTAC Town, Lagos, on yearly basis, depending on the class, collects N37, 000 for Primary 2 books, N48, 000 for Primary Four, while Primary Six Pupils spend 58, 000 on books and these books are not transferable to younger ones. They now have customised exercise books that must be purchased from the schools. Exercise books like those olden days ‘Big’ will not be accepted in most school even if it is of better quality than what the schools are offering,” she added.

A mother of five, Brenda Akpewe, who lives at Ojo area of Lagos, said: “The situation calls for serious concern. I wore my elder sister’s school uniform then, but such is not possible now because one has to pay for all the uniforms that the schools would present. From Monday through Friday, there are different uniforms to be worn by the pupils and which have to be bought by the parents.

“My nephew came from the village to do his primary six in Lagos. But knowing that the child has less than a session to stay before going to the high school, I appealed to the school authorities to allow him wear the regular school uniform but the school said no, that I was going to buy all. The headmistress of the school said I could buy it now and later the child would wear them at home when done with the common entrance examination.

“Of course, some of these uniform are customised in China and so you cannot get it in the market to sow even if you are a tailor or even if you got the material cheaper elsewhere. You are condemned to buy theirs at any amount they bill you. You can’t bargain with them.”

In the light of government’s indifference, many parents are suffering in silence. Some private primary and secondary schools make curious charges, including development and entrepreneurship levies, without materials or tools for practical learning; fees for diction in the English Language in the absence of a language laboratory and payment for end of the year or new year party, which sometimes is higher than the cost of the party items given to the pupils and event management.

These fees, The Guardian learnt, are exclusive of school, report card, lesson, security, websites and magazines fees. Some private school owners claim that they offer value for money and that some of the fees are to cushion the effects of the harsh economic condition in the country.

A school owner, who does not want his name published, said: “Books are expensive now. We pay through our nose to get these books in the right standard. We give to the students at the same prices we got them from the publishers. Running diesel everyday to keep the pupil in a good and controlled temperature is expensive.

“Apart from that, we have to pay teachers salaries, pay the government, school assessment. If you see what we pay, you will pity the private schools, and you have to stay at the top of child-friendly innovations to ensure that your school is impactful. Some of us are running charity here.

“Let me shock you. Do you know that some of my students come from orphanages? Of course, they don’t pay. We pick them and drop them off after school. These are some of the things I do to help the less privileged.

“So, the question you will ask is, where do I get money for all these. The rich has to support the poor. It’s expensive but we have to do it. We pay heavily to the government. So, let us start by telling the government to reduce the fees and taxes they collect from us, going forward.”

In an editorial on a related issue, The Guardian wrote: “Paucity of good and available public schools has led to the extortion of parents by the private school operators. It is now becoming clearer why Nigeria has a high number of out-of-school children (OOSC). Ignoring children’s access to quality education is poor management of the huge human capital that could increase the number of out-of-school children, which could result in demographic ‘disaster’ in the future.”

Ministries of Education React
WHEN contacted to speak on the issue, the spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Gong, explained that the private are private everywhere they are and so the government does not have control over the fees they charge or the books they use.

According to him, the schools are free to use the curriculum they want, whether in tandem with what the Federal Government puts out or not, but all students will meet at the common entrance examination for primary schools and senior West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) for others in secondary school. “The parents and guardians know what to do when it comes to this point,” he quipped.

On the issue of controlling schools, Gong said the government was only monitoring and controlling the 112 Unity Schools in the country and when any of them does anything wrong, the ministry would correct the erring school. The official maintained that the government did not have control over the fees being paid in the private schools.

“The only thing we do with the private schools is quality and standard control. The government wants to ensure that the schools are in order and to support learning and not closing schools.

“We cannot be preaching sound and quality education and be closing schools. What we do is that when a school says it is offering 10 subjects, we visit the school to be able to know whether such school has what it takes, enough teachers and classrooms to support the students and learning. We ensure that any school operates in the standard that it should, regardless of status.

“You can’t covert your boys quarters into a school and expect us to allow you to run classes that shouldn’t contain in such place. Like I said, we will correct any erring school and give a time line for that school to comply. We are not there to close the schools until the schools become recalcitrant before we can now take the final action. But controlling the fees the private schools charge is not part of our duties, they are private and we can’t interfere with their fee, the books they use and the uniform they wear,” Gong said.

At present, it appears there is no single measure to change the narrative, going by the government position. Therefore, people holding trust for Nigerians should rise up to the occasion. Government at all levels should equip public schools to compete with the private ones by developing a culture of continuous improvement upon the quality of education from primary to tertiary levels through the provision of state-of-the-art infrastructural facilities, capacity building for teachers and many other programmes to promote effective teaching and learning in public schools.

Governments can check exorbitant fees by addressing multiple taxations faced by private schools through legislation. Government can legislate on the ease of doing ‘education business.’ The government can also ensure adequate power supply to reduce the high cost of running school operation on electricity generating sets, which is usually passed on as high fees for the students.
Origin of private schools

Private secondary school education started in Nigeria through the effort of Christian Missionaries in 1842. The private schools taught subjects that had little relevance to the developmental desires of the nation. But with great agitation from Nigerian elite, the subjects were increased, and the school products could work in wide areas of national economy.

Moreover, the government made education free up to the junior secondary school level in 1999. But because the government could not pay teachers’ salaries for some time, teachers in the government schools embarked upon industrial actions for some time. This led to increased patronage of private secondary schools that are seen as also delivering qualitative education.