The Federal Government says it will set up a formal
negotiation team between the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and relevant
stakeholders to look into the recent hike in fees in schools across the
country.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, made
this known at a news conference to herald the commemoration of the
International Day to Protect Education from Attack in Abuja on Friday.
Sununu said that the hike in school fees could be a core
factor leading to attacks in schools, hence the need to look into the area to
avert further attacks.
“So many areas that require finances are being attacked but
we must also look at the constitutional provisions.
“The constitution expressly states free education but with a
caveat, ‘when government can afford’ and that is why it also comes as voluntary
contributions by all stakeholders.
“When we say safety in schools, it is a collective
responsibility. So we are going to encourage formal negotiations.
“Where we cannot provide, it is to encourage PTA and
relevant institutions so that we can agree to a term that is acceptable to all
of us.
“Also, we will encourage a lot of partnerships as part of
areas that can bring peace. Whether we agree or not, we must appreciate the
role of PTAs in sustaining services in lots of our schools at both local and
federal levels.
“So, while we do that with scarce resources, at the ministry
level, we try to see how we can block leakages and see how more funds can be
available to schools to ensure that quality education is affordable, acceptable
to every Nigerian without decreasing the quality of education,” NAN quoted him
as saying.
The minister also said the Federal Government had ratified
the Safe School Declaration in December 2019 and developed a safe school policy
to uphold the right to education in emergency situations.
He pledged the ministry’s commitment to developing learning
centres in Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps as well as providing
relevant information on threat assessments to the schools at all levels.
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