Education Minister Malam Adamu Adamu has warned headteachers of Unity Colleges to adhere strictly to the directive on the collection of only authorised fees.
The minister warned that any principal violating the directive would be sacked.
In a statement by the ministry’e spokesman Ben Goong, Adamu directed that all authorised cost items, including boarding fees must be communicated to parents in writing and copied to the ministry before any payment could be demanded.
According to the minister, any principal running foul of the regulation will have himself/herself to blame.
He was quoted as saying: “For the avoidance of doubt, the authorised school fees for unity colleges for the 2016/2017 academic year has been placed on the ministry’s website – www.education.gov.ng
“Any school principal who collects or has collected a penny outside the authorised fees as clearly stated must refund same to affected parents or guardians immediately.’’
The minister urged parents whose wards were in unity colleges to report any infraction on the directive to his ministry for appropriate sanction.
The minister said that one of the pillars of his Ministerial Action Plan, “Education for Change”, which would soon be launched, will make education accessible and affordable to all Nigerians.
Adamu said he would not tolerate any act that could sabotage the implementation of the Federal Government’s policy in the education sector.
According to the minister, the time has come for “Nigerians to enjoy the benefits of ‘Change’ which they voted for and I will stop at nothing to deliver same in the education sector.”
The minister said one of the reasons for the recent harmonisation of fees in unity colleges was to ensure that parents paid averagely less as well as eliminate indiscriminate collections.
He said the indiscriminate collection of fees had resulted in parents in some unity schools paying much higher than their counterparts in other unity colleges.