Private schools owners in Ogun on Wednesday protested over alleged multiple taxation by the state government.
The protesters, under the aegis of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), also queried the 150 per cent increase in the charges of First School Living Certificate (FSLC) from N500 to N2,000.
The protesters had marched to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat at Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, where they addressed newsmen.
The angry protesters also carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Don’t kill private schools with multiple levies’’ and ” Treat the private schools fairly.”
President of the association, Alhaji Rilwan Hassan, said that the state government had also increased the charge of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) from N2,500 to N5,000.
Hassan said that there was much disparity between public schools and private schools in the state, adding that the issue was impacting negatively on the education sector.
He said that the association had written many letters of complaint to the relevant authorities, calling on them to intervene to no avail.
“We have come to appeal through you and the general public to help appeal to the Ogun government to give us a respite over issues affecting us as owners of private schools.
“Parents have entrusted their children in our hands, these parents are also tax payers.
“We want the government to reverse decisions on charges for BECE, FSLC, signage, tenement rate, renewal fees and multiple taxes, “he added.
Reacting to the allegations, the State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Modupe Mujota, said the increments were necessary given the current economic reality in the country.
Mujota said the increments were not routine, adding that they had not been reviewed in the last four years.
“The intention of the government was not to kill the schools. The decision was in line with the school fees being charged by the schools, “ she said.
