By Our Correspondent
FUNTUA, Katsina — The dispute over increased school fees at Zee-Alpha International School, Funtua, has been resolved following a meeting involving the Katsina State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Suleiman Jibiya, officials of the Zonal Education Quality Assurance (ZEQA), representatives of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), the school’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and the school proprietress, Hajiya Zainab Abdullahi.
The meeting was convened to address the grievances that had led parents to temporarily withdraw their children from the school over increases in tuition fees and other charges.
The parents had earlier protested what they described as excessive fee increases, which reportedly raised the fees from ₦42,500 to ₦50,000 for primary pupils, from ₦45,500 to ₦63,000 for JSS students, and from ₦51,500 to ₦77,000 for SSS 1 and 2 students. The fee for SSS 3 had reportedly been increased to ₦82,500.
At a meeting with the school proprietress before the government intervention, the PTA had offered to accept an increase of ₦10,000 per child across all classes, saying it recognised the need for improved remuneration for teachers. The proposal was reportedly rejected by the proprietress.
The PTA had also raised concerns over the alleged compulsory purchase of textbooks and school uniforms from the school.
Following deliberations, the meeting unanimously adopted a new fee structure for the school.
Under the resolution, pupils in the primary section will pay ₦50,000, while the approved fee for Junior Secondary School (JSS) is ₦60,000.
The fee for the Senior Secondary School (SSS) is ₦66,500.
The resolution therefore reduces the proposed JSS fee of ₦63,000 by ₦3,000 and significantly reduces the previously reported SSS fees of ₦77,000 for SSS 1 and 2 and ₦82,500 for SSS 3, while retaining the ₦50,000 approved for the primary section.
The meeting also addressed the controversy surrounding textbooks.
It resolved that the textbook issue would be handled by the Katsina State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, with a view to arriving at an amicable and uniform arrangement applicable to private schools across the state.
The resolution did not specify an immediate decision on whether parents would be allowed to purchase textbooks from sources other than the school, but instead referred the broader issue to the ministry for consideration.
Those listed as attending the meeting were the:
- Katsina State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education;
- Representative of the Zonal Education Quality Assurance (ZEQA), Funtua;
- President and a member of the Katsina State chapter of NAPPS;
- PTA officials of Zee-Alpha International School; and
- Proprietress and a teacher of Zee-Alpha International School, Funtua.
The resolution was signed by Umar Isma’il Musa, Chairman.
The agreement brings the immediate fee dispute at Zee-Alpha International School to a resolution, following the parents’ temporary withdrawal of their children and the subsequent intervention of the state education authorities.
