Private schools’s Association appeals to FCT Minister to reconsider imposed tax
CSOMedia Newspaper
Posted On May 21, 2024
By Abuja reporter
National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT,) have appealed to the FCT Minister, to reconsider the imposition of the five percent annual tax, levied on private schools.
Mrs Rakayat Agboola, the Chairperson of the association, made the appeal in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Agboola also pleaded for a tax grace period of five years, in order for the schools to fully recover financially from the economic impact of COVID-19.
“The pressure of multiple levies on private schools by various agencies in the FCT, even when many schools are closing up for reason of losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is too much.
“We are still battling low income caused by backlogs of owed school fees due to the current low economic activities in the country.
“We appeal to President Bola Tinubu and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to please reconsider this tax and grant us a grace period of five years to commence payments, ” she said.
She stressed that the association was worried that parents may begin to withdraw their children and wards from schools, if the tax is implemented in the spate of current economic hardship.
Agboola, further appealed for the authorities to reconsider the tax as well as allow a grace period before Implementation.
According to her, the grace period will help the school administration and parents in planning ahead of the tax Implementation.
“We remain committed to ensuring inclusive quality education, however, the government should treat us with some human empathy.
“Private schools have been helping the government in carrying out its statutory duty of providing education for Nigerian children.
“The governments should please treat the private schools owners as critical partners, deserving of this support,” she said.
Earlier, during the launch of the Compendium of private schools in the FCT, the representative of the Minister for education, Dr (Mrs) Folake Olátúnjí Davies explained that “for every state, and the Federal Capital Territory, it is the state that is in charge of the regulation of schools in their space.
“The federal government will not give a policy directive for all states. When fixing the rates, in determining the regulation, it’s the state’s mandate and responsibility, or the FCT to do that.
“So we just ensure that there are minimum standards and tenets to ensure that they have the enabling environment to operate in.
“But of course, I am sure there is always room for deliberation between them and the government because the government is not in place to make things difficult for private providers, not state actors. We welcome them.
“They are very good stakeholders. We appreciate what they are doing in providing inclusive quality education for all Nigerian children. We do not want to make the environment hostile.
“We want to encourage them. But then, they still have to go to the actual government and make sure that everything is done properly.
“So that’s why we expect that we have an association that can speak with the government in FCT because it is run by FCT administration. I’m sure they will give them a listening ear to be able to iron out this issue”.
On his own part, the representative of the FCT Minister of state, Dr Hassan Sule expressed the Minister’s acknowledgement of the immense contributions of the private schools towards the development of Education in the FCT.
He said that the Minister who if not for an unavoidable engagement would have personally attended the event in show of solidarity with the Napps expressed the minister’s willingness to always support the Private schools in all possible ways.
Also, Prof. Gbenga Adewale of the University of Ilorin revealed that “a findings about four years ago indicated that there were 100,000 private schools as against 10,000 public schools in Nigeria.
An indication that the private schools have been helping the government in carrying out about 90% of its statutory duty of providing education for Nigerian children”.
He therefore enjoined the governments at all tiers of administration to threat the private schools owners as critical partners deserving of serious support.
