By The Lagos State government has concluded plans to increase the feeding fee of N25,000 being paid by students of the state-owned boarding schools.
This development was disclosed after a meeting attended by the Hon. Commissioner for Education, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Tutor General/Permanent Secretary and all Principals of Lagos State Model Colleges (Senior and Junior) as well as the representatives of the Parents’ Forum (PF).
According to the PF Chairman, Dr. I. O. Miller, the commissioner, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo said the decision was due to the state government’s inability to feed the students with initial sum paid by their parents.
She added that the government had done their calculation and had come to conclusion that, it would take N125,000 to feed a child per term. In view of this, the government had at its State Executive Council meeting resolved that parents would begin to pay N75,000 per child per term begin from next session.
“The decision of government came to the PF Chairman and Secretaries as a shock and it generated very serious uproar that, it took special intervention of the Hon. Commissioner of Education to calm the nerves of your representatives (all Chairmen and Secretaries from all LSMCs) including my humble self down,” the PF Chairman explained.
Though 90% of the Chairmen and Secretaries of the PF agreed with the government that the increment of the boarding achool feeding fee was inevitable as cost of feeding and other deliveries have skyrocketed, they unanimously proposed a reduction of the new increment from N75,000 to N40,000 per child per term.
The commissioner, in response, said it was uncertain that the recommendation would hold water as the government hasn’t closed its mind on the matter. She, however, advised that the PF’s position should be forwarded in writing as she has no power to review the amount already approved by the State Executive.
