By Peter Okolie
The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Imo Chapter, and the State Government have disagreed over allegations of multiple taxation, extortion, and policy directives.
The state Chairman of NAPPS, Chief Theo Mbakwe, said at a news conference on Friday in Owerri that private operators were going through “excessive financial and administrative pressures” from government agencies.
Mbakwe frowned at the Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education’s “fire brigade policy-making approach”.
He said that operational costs were threatening the survival of private schools.
“Private schools are not money minting organisations.
“What private schools do is to complement government’s efforts,” Mbakwe said.
He alleged that operators were facing multiple levies from the Ministries of Environment and Sanitation, alongside mandatory fees for fumigation certificates and school bus tickets.
Mbakwe also accused ministry officials of demanding unofficial candidate clearance fees, ranging from N500 to N1,000 during WAEC and NECO examination periods from over 308 secondary schools.
Flanked by some top NAPPS executive members, he said: “We are also subjected to paying infrastructure levies to the state government.
“We observe that at the time of approval processes for the establishment of new schools, proprietors are made to pay unofficial fee of over N150,000 cash to inspectors for site inspection.
“Such payments have become impediment to most new proprietors getting approval for their schools in time.
“At every WASSCE and NECO examination period, after appropriate and official registrations, the ministry subjects us to individual candidate’s clearance fee.”
Mbakwe further claimed that the commissioner refused to sign certificates for 700 workshop participants, in spite of receiving N600,000, demanding an immediate refund to agitated members.
The chairman, therefore, appealed to Gov. Hope Uzodimma to intervene in the matter, saying that the measures imposed on them were putting additional financial burdens on operators and parents.
Reacting to the allegations, the Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education, Prof. Bernard Ikegwuoha, debunked the allegations, saying that the state’s education reforms were designed to protect parents and pupils.
In a statement issued to newsmen, Ikegwuoha argued that the state’s textbook and educational policies were learner-centered and parent-friendly.
He stated that other states were already emulating the Imo model and denied introducing policies to frustrate private schools or illegally extort their proprietors.
“Parents can now purchase their childrens’ textbooks directly from any bookstore of their choice, provided they are not buying pirated textbooks,” Ikegwuoha stated.
He accused some private school operators of imposing excessive costs on parents through arbitrary prices for learning materials and embedded workbooks that compel annual repurchases.
According to him, government remains committed to affordable and transparent education, while protecting parents’ rights to participate in decision-making processes. (NAN)
Edited by Sam Oditah