ASABA/Nigeria: Delta State Government (DTSG) has described the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) as a critical partner in the educational development of the state.
The State Commissioner for Primary Education, Chief Sunday Onoriode, who stated this in Asaba during a crucial meeting with the association, told members of the association that issues bothering renewal fees could better be resolved through dialogue and not through court and protests.
He said that the only thing that concerned the Ministry was the issue of renewal of licence fees by the private school owners, adding that the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education had nothing to do with the multiple taxations.
Chief Onoriode noted that the renewal fee was one of the conditions that ought to have been met before any private school was allowed to register its pupils and students in Cognitive/Placement as well as other external examinations.
The Primary Education Commissioner, who stated that the State Government had the interest of the children at heart and would not be happy that children in the affected private schools were denied to write such an Important examination, disclosed that the Ministry would look into the demands of NAPPS even as he çalled on NAPPS to withdraw the case in court.
He promised to invite them within the week to resolve the issue amicably for the overall benefit of the various stakeholders, adding that it was a family issue.
The State Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs Rose Ezewu expressed displeasure that NAPPS as a frontline association could not explore all available means to discuss with the stakeholders in the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education before embarking on legal measures and protests.
Mrs. Ezewu, however, warned all unregistered schools to desist from showcasing fake certificates of registration.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Augustine Oghoro advised NAPPS to either withdraw the case in court in order to give room for the resolution of the issue or maintain the status quo pending the outcome of the court.
Earlier, the President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) , South-South, Dr. Akpeme Ochuko lauded the State Commissioner for Primary Education, Chief Sunday Onoriode and the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs Rose Ezewu for their efforts in taking the education system in the state to an enviable height.
Dr. Akpeme Ochuko, who noted that the association decided to go to court to challenge the issue of the renewal fee, stated that all efforts for the State Government to abolish the renewal fee had not yielded positive results just as he said that private schools in the state had been grappling with the issue of multiple taxations but not from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.
He appealed to the State Government to either allow them to pay half of the renewal fee as was done in the last session due to the economic situation in the country or allow them to carry out the registration of their student’s deadline for the registration was fast approaching, adding that the association was ready to open its doors for negotiation.
While saying that the association was ready to take the matter from the court for the round table discussion, Dr Akpeme Ochuko appealed that the Ministry should extend the deadline for registration so that the children would not be deprived of enrollment.
He lauded the two Commissioners for assuring them that their demands would be met within the week.
