The Federal Government has assured parents and teachers at King’s College, Lagos, that the proposed new management arrangement will not lead to an increase in school fees or the loss of teachers’ jobs.
Education Minister, Dr Tunji Alausa, gave the assurance on Wednesday during a press conference in Abuja amid concerns over the proposed arrangement with the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).
Alausa said the agreement is intended to mobilise additional resources for the school without transferring ownership of King’s College from the government.
He said the arrangement would operate under strict performance targets, with the Ministry of Education responsible for monitoring its implementation through a team that would also conduct unannounced inspections.
“There is no fee increase in this arrangement. It is part of the MoU we signed,” the minister said.
The government also said teachers would not be sacked as a result of the arrangement.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, said teachers affected by any changes would have the option of indicating their interest in redeployment to other schools, in line with the Public Service Rules.
She added that the government would continue to invest in teacher capacity-building programmes.
The government said it remains open to discussions with unions over their concerns, adding that legitimate issues raised by workers could still be considered as the agreement is reviewed.
A committee involving representatives of the unions has also been established to monitor the arrangement.
Alausa said the government’s decision was influenced by the condition of infrastructure in Unity Colleges, noting that decades of deterioration could not be addressed immediately through government funding alone.
He urged journalists to visit schools and independently assess their conditions when reporting on the issue.
The minister said the broader objective is to restore the quality and academic standards historically associated with Unity Colleges through sustained investment in infrastructure and teacher development.
He added that the government is exploring different public-private partnership models for school development, citing a model being implemented in Kano as an example.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.