All Unity Schools in the country have been directed to stop the collection of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) development levies.
The Federal Government, via a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the Ministry of Education, explained that the ban became necessary because it was being abused by some people.
In the statement signed by Mr Bem Goong, Deputy Director, Press, in the Ministry, it was further said that in some of the 104 unity colleges, the PTA levies were more expensive than the tuition fee.
The Ministry stated that if any project is to be carried out by the PTA, an approval must first be sought from the government.
“No PTA of any unity college is allowed to initiate any development project in any of the unity colleges without the express or written authorisation of the Federal Ministry of Education.
“The new measures are aimed at arresting the shocking trend where development levies imposed on parents by PTAs are becoming higher than the school fees charged by government which established the unity schools, the statement said.
The Ministry pointed out that PTA levies in Kings College, Lagos, and Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, Lagos were becoming too much for parents to pay.
It said that in the two schools, fees charged for JSS1 in the first term was N69,400 while the PTA collection was N70,000 at Kings and N74,000 at Yaba.
“This brings the total paid by parents in these two schools to N139,400 and N143,400 respectively.
“With the reduction on development levies and ban on charges for new projects as well as pegging of the development levy to a maximum of N5,000, parents of JSS1 in these two schools will now pay N88,000.
“I acknowledge the complementary roles played by parents and the support provided by the PTA to the colleges but I will not allow the PTAs to constitute themselves into a government within a government at the level of unity schools and at the expense of parents,’’ the statement said.
