In a bid to reverse a recent 200% increase in boarding fees, parents of students attending Lagos Model Colleges are demanding that the Lagos State Ministry of Education take immediate action. The parents’ forum has threatened to keep their children at home until the fee hike is reversed, citing corruption and insensitivity by the government.
The parents’ forum, led by Chairman Surv. Dapo Dawodu, raised the alarm during a meeting on Saturday, denouncing the “mindless and provocative” increase in boarding fees. In a letter to parents, dated September 14, the forum emphasized that the government’s decision was “facilitated by the corrupt officers of the Lagos State Ministry of Education.”
According to the letter, the new boarding fee of N100,000 per term translates to N100 million for the school principal to feed students for just three months, a significant increase from the previous fee of N35,000. The parents’ forum expressed outrage that the government had approved this increase, claiming that the principal would now spend N50 million for an exercise that previously cost below N17.5 million.
The forum also criticized the government’s proposal for school feeding and welfare initiatives, stating that it had failed to implement the scheme despite being proposed in February 2024. Lagos State prides itself on a free education policy, but the parents argue that this policy should not exclude boarding programs.
With the current government receiving over 350% more funding, boosted by the removal of subsidies, which has drastically reduced parents’ spending power by over 600%, the parents find it unacceptable to be subjected to further hardship through this unnecessary fee hike.
The forum has urged Lagos parents to keep their children at home starting Sunday, September 15, until the government reverses its decision. The parents are determined to avoid swallowing what they see as an “unjust bait” from the government, particularly given that some principals have threatened not to allow their children into the boarding houses without the payment of N100,000.
On Friday, September 13, the Lagos State Government increased boarding fees in all secondary schools from N35,000 to N100,000 per term. A letter to all boarding school principals, signed by the Director of Basic Education Services, Olufemi Asaolu, stated that the State Government had approved the review of the boarding fee payable in all public boarding schools, with the newly approved fee set at N100,000 only.
As the dispute continues, it remains to be seen whether the Lagos State Ministry of Education will heed the parents’ demands and reverse the fee hike.
