The proprietors are seeking help, stating that the government's new tax regime is suffocating them as it now ranges from N450,000 to N2.2 million depending on the school's size.
Private school owners in Enugu State are sounding the alarm over the recent surge in school shutdowns due to what they consider flimsy excuses and exorbitant taxes imposed by the government.
The proprietors are seeking help, stating that the government's new tax regime is suffocating them as it now ranges from N450,000 to N2.2 million depending on the school's size.
This drastic hike from the previous N30,000 paid during the last administration is crippling many institutions, leading to shutdowns.
Addressing a press conference in Enugu on Sunday, Chairman of the Association of Private School Owners of Nigeria, Amb. Emeka Grahams, accused the government of sealing private schools that have been employing people and contributing to the improvement of education in the state.
Grahams said, "Private schools have employed hundreds of unemployed graduates and secondary school leavers who would have engaged themselves in one social vice or the other and constituted a nuisance to the State.
"With all the revenues generated from private schools, no dime is given to them to support them and they are expected to have standard schools in terms of infrastructures and equipment.
"Every year, the government conducts school census of all the children in private schools both approved and unapproved.
“They use this figure to access educational materials from foreign educational donors and none goes to private schools. This is in addition to Universal Basic Education (UBEC) Funds used only by government schools.
"The government of Enugu State started building smart schools when it assumed office in 2023 and these schools are proposed to be completed in September 2025 for admission of pupils and students.
“So, it is taking government about three years, with taxpayers' money and other funds from the federal government, to build their smart schools; but private school proprietors were given three months - from June 24th to September 24th 2024 to put all the facilities, which must meet up the standard of their smart schools, in place; pay between N450,000 and N2.2 million to get their schools licensed or be closed down.”
Giving a breakdown of how much schools are expected to pay, he said, "A, Senior Secondary -application form - N200,000; two years provisional approval - N300,000; application for license - N200,000; yearly renewal fee - N200,000. In total you pay N900,000 for running senior secondary only.
"B, Complete Basic Education -Nursery 1 to JSS3: application form - N500,000; two years provisional approval - N250,000; application for license - N250,000; yearly renewal fee - N300,000. Total N1.3 million to run complete basic education.
"By implication, to run nursery 1 to SS3, the school should pay N2.2 million to the government that provides nothing, not even public school bus for school pupils."
He added, "For category C, intermediate basic - Nursery 1 - Primary 6: the government charges - application form - N200,000; two years provisional approval - N200,00; application for license - N200,000 and yearly renewal fee - N200,000 totaling N800,000.
"Category D Early Childhood -Nursery 1 - Primary 3: application form - N100,000; two years provisional approval - N100,000; application for license - N100,000 and yearly renewal fee - N150,000 totaling N450,000."
He added, "The implication is that if these bills are allowed to fly, school fees in private schools will astronomically increase because proprietors will pay teachers’ salaries, maintain their facilities and pay other government taxes apart from this.
“Parents who cannot cope with the increment of school fees will withdraw their children to nowhere because the public schools are substandard and the smart schools are not ready and even when they are ready, cannot admit all the children coming out from private schools."
The chairman emphasized that private schools, being major stakeholders in the education sector, deserve government subvention.
However, Governor Peter Mbah's administration has failed to involve them in its new policies, leaving them in the dark, he noted.
He described the government policies as lacking “human face”.
In essence, the chairman is highlighting the significance of private schools in the education sector and their need for government support. Grahams also lamented that Governor Mbah's administration has not recognized their importance, neglecting to carry them along in its new initiatives.
He said, "Private schools were not consulted in making the new government policy which is currently implemented on them and every plea with the Commissioner to give us time (at least two years), including our request to see the governor on this matter were fruitless
"Both the list of the minimum standard for which schools are closed down now and the list of government approved books which is part of their demand now were not made available to us."
The private school owners said the immediate past government never saw unapproved schools as illegal, but tried its best to encourage them to work hard and get government approval.
He said, "Such schools were considered, but charged extra to participate in government organised exams. We cannot understand government the rational in abandoning already existing government schools in the state, with their structures, for the so called 'Smart Schools'.
"Must we always borrow western style of education, alien to our clime, and not develop or encourage a style unit to us and workable in our society.
"There are many other issues and the summary of the matter is this; let the government leave private schools alone, if they don't want to support them, and concentrate in upgrading their own schools.
“They said they want to offer free education with free food, free uniform and free transport; when they do all of that, parents will withdraw their children back to their schools and when private schools are empty, they will be forced to shut down.”
Follow the Sahara Reporters channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaFClvtH5JM6SSsP7M2Y