Still fighting to convince the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) against imposing an annual five percent tuition tax on students in private schools, proprietors are mobilising members and parents to do battle with the government.
The latest action of the proprietors followed reports that some staff of the Department of Quality Assurance (DQA) of the Education Secretariat of the FCTA visited some schools on inspection and requested their school fee schedule sheets to calculate 5% per child as DQA annual dues.
“No school should oblige them with such information but should rather ask them for the letter authorising them to demand for 5% of school fees per child.
“We are currently liaising with DQA to ascertain the authenticity of such demands. Don’t release any information on your school fees until the directive comes from the Abuja Joint Private Schools Office,” the memo from the private schools proprietors association told members.
One member in a post on a social media platform of members announced, “we are ready for war! Please warn our members and other members of the Joint Private School Task Force not to be cowards in the face of this! This is completely unacceptable, insensitive and appalling! DQA will have to explain to the world, what they have offered private schools so far to deserve this percentage of tuition. War they want, war it is they’ll get!”
Another memo to the school proprietors last week read: “Dear noble colleagues, it is time to start reacting to the new DQA 5% tuition fee annual levy. We advise that you tell your Parents Teachers Association (PTA) that Education Secretariat has imposed a 5% of tuition fee tax on each of their school children.
“Let the parents know what is on board because they are the ones to pay the tax through the school. Let resistance also come from the parents themselves because it is not just NAPPS fight. Every school should inform its PTA about the new development. There is no more time to waste. Start now.”
An undated circular telling school proprietors of fresh charges landed on the desks of proprietors, telling them that the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, has given his approval.
The circular said the new charges for private schools takes effect from January, this year. It stated that charges to be paid were dependent on fees charged per school and their enrolment.
It was silent on the 5% charge on tuition fees, but proprietors said they had been informed about it and DQA staff were already trying to execute it during their visitations.
Everyday.ng reports that weeks ago, a deadlock was reached between the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and owners of private schools in Abuja over the 5% proposed tax on tuition fees for students.
Two Mondays ago the proprietors “outrightly rejected the proposal in its entirety due to the harsh economic situation in the country,” a source said.
Proprietors of schools in the seat of power vowed to “fight the battle to the end.”
“Government should allow private schools to breathe. We are being suffocated by heavy tax burdens, insecurity, harsh economic environment which has unduly skyrocketed the cost of running a private school and parents’ inability to pay school fees,” a memo to members said.
It was gathered that school owners reiterated that owning and running schools is a social service venture that needs government support rather than indiscriminate taxes from various government quarters.
But the meeting wasn’t without its sideshow with the department of quality assurance (DQA) expressing dismay at how details of its previous meeting with the leadership of the association of proprietors leaked to the media.
“They expressed their displeasure on an online abusive media publication targeted at FCTA for allegedly proposing a 5% of tuition per child termly payment as DQA annual dues even when the discussion is not yet concluded.
“They frowned at how the news media got a hint of something that is still at a proposal and discussion level and suspected an insider involvement.
“NAPPS FCT President cleared their suspicion by denying our involvement in the said publication.
“They requested that we – Abuja Joint Private Schools Associations place a disclaimer on the publication but our FCT President on behalf of the Joint Association declined claiming that since we didn’t sponsor the publication and since they didn’t mention us in the publication, it is needless for us to join issues with the publisher by placing a disclaimer on the said publication.
The Secretary of the Education Secretariat in Abuja (equivalent of a state commissioner of education) was absent at that Monday’s meeting, but DQA Director promised to brief him.
Everyday.ng had broken the news of the proposal by the authorities in Abuja’s Education Secretariat to charge a 5% tax on tuition fees for students in private schools.
The infuriating proposal to proprietors, Everyday.ng reported, was bound to set off anger in residents bogged down by the harsh economic terrain, worsened since President Bola Tinubu took over the reins of power seven months ago.
The story became the talk of the town after the leakage of the memo of the meeting between school proprietors and officials of the education secretariat.
The memo tagged, IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS, read:
“Good morning, noble colleagues. You might have heard that we have been holding a series of meetings with FCTA Education Secretariat and other Private School Assiciations on a proposed new system of charging DQA annual dues.
“Below is the brief for your information and reactions:
1. Education Secretariat and DQA (department of quality assirance) are proposing a new system of charging private schools annual dues as against the current system that sees schools of different categories pay fixed amounts to DQA annually between N75,000 and N300,000 per annum.
The new system is that they will now charge 5% of the tuition fee per child every term. What this means is that if your tuition fee is N200,000 termly, you will pay N10,000 per child multiplied by the number of school children in your school. For instance, if you have 300 pupils, you will pay N10,000 x 300, which gives N3,000,000 per term and N9,000,000 per annum as against N250,000 such school is currently paying as annual DQA levy.
2. The last meeting we had with the Education Secretary, some of us demanded the total cancellation of such the proposed policy, and the suggestion did not go down well with the Education Secretary.
He said he had expected us to appeal for a reduction from 5% rather than an outright cancellation of the policy. He then requested that another meeting be held next week between us (Abuja Joint Private School Associations) and Education Secretariat.
3. Before the proposed next meeting, we, the representatives of the Abuja Joint Private Schools Association, met yesterday … and came up with some resolutions as will be posted shortly.
Government officials remained dodgy as the proprietors were considering a mobilisation exercise to bring residents into the loop of protests.
Lately, the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) has unleashed a barrage of income generating exercises that has been raising the temperament of residents.
One of such is the increase of official fees to procure land, and pay others fees.
Everyday.ng further reports that the reaction from members of the proprietors association has been fast and furious, as captured below and sent to our reporter. They are reproduced below:
● Only wicked,irresponsible and unreasonable hearts would have this idea in a time like this. It is very unfair and should be resisted please.
● This is just too much to handle but God in his infinite wisdom will grant our leaders the best possible way to go about it and a successful outcome.
We outrightly reject such an unbelievable and dangerous weapon used only against the private education sector.
It’s high time we stood firm against any form of discrimination and oppression from our supposed education ministry.
May God fight for us????
● “5% per child per term tuition fee as annual FCT Education Secretariat/DQA due”. Pls throw some light on this DQA. Is this an institution of govt? Do they receive salaries n subvention from govt? What value does this body add to school owners? Do we need them? The annual dues of #75k we duly pay them are now inadequate. On no condition will a kobo be added to the annual due! Why are these institutions bent on the strangulation of private schools! Why can’t we go to court to stop these i
● These people are just criminals. I want to believe leadership has been changed and the new people are coming with a devise to make money. The dues we have been paying , what have they done with it? What support has DQA given to us?
They want to get 5% from our revenue but what happens to our costs of running the school? They are now shareholders or what? Even shareholders share from losses! Do they even care about the education in Nigeria? Private schools are social enterprises!
To think that we have been struggling to put our schools together amidst this economic situation is worrisome and frustrating! Or they expect us to transfer the burden on the parents who are already struggling to pay? I still can’t get it. They are government agency for God’s sake, they should be more concerned about social benefits!
I think we need to call them out as someone suggested!
● What is the basis of such a charge. They just do things arbitrarily and only end up mismanaging the revenue. I am not sure they have a clue what schools go through each time fees are increased. They should not even go there oo!
Report by Everyday.ng
