Parents of boarding students at Eva Adelaja Girls Grammar School in Bariga, Lagos State, are up in arms over the recent increase in feeding fees from N35,000 to N100,000, a whopping 186% hike. The protest, which began on Sunday, saw a large group of parents storming the school area, chanting slogans, and demanding an immediate reversal of the fee hike.
The parents, who are demanding a reversal of the 200% increase in boarding fees, have vowed to keep their wards at home until their demands are met. They lamented the situation, with one parent saying, “We can’t afford this money; it’s too much. Our children want to go to school.”
The Parents’ Forum has accused the Lagos State Ministry of Education of “unbridled greed” and described the increment as “mindless and provocative.” The forum’s chairman, Surv. Dapo Dawodu, pointed out that the new fee translates to N100 million in the school principal’s purse to feed the children within three months, compared to the previous N35 million.
The parents’ forum has proposed a Feeding & Welfare Analysis scheme in February 2024 to the ministry, which they claim has not been faulted. They argue that Lagos State’s free education policy should include boarding programs and that the current economic situation makes the fee hike unacceptable.
The parents’ forum has concluded that they will retain their children at home until the “obnoxious decision” is fully reversed.
