By Nwogha Ndubuisi
Following the recent global covid-19 pandemic, Private School Proprietors on Tuesday 13 October,2020 have resolved to charge their students fifty percent school fee for the ongoing term.
The Ebonyi State Chairman, National Association of Proprietor of Private School,NAPPS,Mr. Kingsley Igboke disclosed this to newsmen at Peoples’ Club, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.
He commended the state Governor and the state Commissioner for Education,Hon. Onyebuchi Chima for the resolution, noting that education as a sector has enjoyed reasonable friendliness with the ongoing administration.
The State Chairman said the decision was taken after the consideration of the fact that the recent pandemic outbreak affected parents and the entire system but not forgetting that teachers of Private schools must be paid, even as, they would prepare materials for the students examination.
According to him,”The meeting according to the Commissioner for Education was targeted on one thing and he has spoken our minds by the approval of collecting fifty percent school fees from our students.
“The initial announcement was that we should not collect fees but the government have gone to weigh it and know that we are in business and the only way we will maintain the government approved standard, pay our teachers who have been without salary for months now, fumigate our schools and procure medical materials to protect the children from Covid-19 spread is to charge some money which should not be full school fees.
“Though before now, we have had Parents and Teachers Association meeting which Proprietors agreed to charge below the usual fee to enable parents to cope up with the money as Corona virus incident has dealt with everybody but we need to forge ahead.
He advised Proprietors to hearken to the government directives and ensure there’s qualitative and quantitative teaching for their students.
He,also charged parents to release their wards to school, and urged them to see whatever they are paying as an investment in the life of their children,thus, support their children to ensure they observed the Covid-19 protocol.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Hon. Onyebuchi Chima harped on the need for the Private School Proprietors to adopt strict measures in the fight against covid-19.
The honourable Commissioner reiterated that Umahi led administration would not undermine any protocol introduced by NDDC to curb the disease spread as any defaulter would be sanction appropriately.
He tasked class teachers to imbibe the spirit of cleanliness and the schools to always provide additional nose masks to their students, and promised to reward schools who maintain the directive while punish the defaulters.
