Abbas Yushau Yusuf
Members of the Association of Private Schools Owners of Nigeria (APSON), Kano state chapter have today agreed to reduce school fees charges by 25 percent as directed by the State Ministry of Education.
The members unveiled their decision when they paid a solidarity visit to the Commissioner of Education in his office.
Speaking during the visit, the National Deputy President of Association of Private Schools APSON, Hajiya Maryam Magaji said that their association has decided to comply with the government directives for the reduction of the school fees with a view to cushioning the effects of the economic hardship suffered as a result of the covid-19 pandemic by parents in Kano State.
She explained further that the directives given to the proprietors for the reduction of the school fees were not intended by Government to hurt anybody, rather, it was done in the best interest of the educational development of the state.
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The National Officer said that even though their association doesn’t have jurisdiction to force other three sister associations to follow suit, promised to mobilize all the members of the APSON to oblige to the directives.
‘ We cannot force the 3 sister associations to do the same as we do, but we are pledging our loyalty to the government and we would mobilize our members to comply”, She maintained.
“We are not going to media to destroy the good efforts of the ministry and we would not support anybody to go to court and challenge the government decision” Hajiya Maryam stressed.
In her speech earlier, the Chairperson of the Kano state chapter of the Private Schools Association, Mrs. Bimbo Awotunde disclosed that they were at the ministry to solidly support the government’s decision for the reduction of 25 percent school fees to their students, expressing gratitude to the ministry for maintaining the good working relationship and kind support to the private schools operating in the state.
Responding, the state Commissioner of Education, Malam Muhammad Sanusi Sa’id Kiru expressed his heartfelt appreciation and that of the state government over the decision taken by APSON to comply with the government’s directives.
The Commissioner explained that the government has every right to make policy but not to hurt anybody, including the Private Schools therefore the issue of school fees reduction was in the best interest of both parties.
He, therefore, urged school Private Schools Proprietors to consider the reduction of the school fees as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility, saying that government is very much aware of the economic hardships suffered by both the school owners and the parents as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement by the Chief Public Relations Officer Kano State Ministry Of Education Aliyu Yusuf said that the government has all the powers to impose a policy but in order to maintain it’s cordial relationship with the Private Schools proprietors, it decided to table the issue in a matured manner for mutual benefit and understanding, lamenting that government will not reverse back on its decision of canceling the third term if the majority of the proprietors refused to comply with the directives for the fees reduction
