By Adadareporters
Privately owned schools in Enugu State were levied between N100, 000 and N300, 000 and not N5m as reported in some quarters.
The clarification was made by the state Commissioner for Education, Hon Ndubueze Mbah, in a statement in Enugu.
Mbah stated that new and existing private schools in the state were required to either register for provisional approval or have their licences renewed.
According to him, “This is between N100,000 and N300,000, depending on the category the schools fall in. The approved schedule of fees was released to the public earlier in June.”
The commissioner therefore urged the public to disregard reports that the state government had imposed between N1 million and N5 million mandatory payments on private schools in the state as educational taxes.
Quoting him, “Extant laws empower the Ministry of Education of Enugu State to maintain minimum standards of education for both public and private schools.
“The ministry is also empowered to streamline and enhance the effective administration, monitoring, and supervision of private schools.”
He said those peddling contrary information were defaulters “because they feared the consequences of operating unlicensed private schools, which can result in imprisonment of up to 10 years and the possible closure of the schools.”
He added that, “The government is undeterred, as Governor Peter Mbah will not fold his arms and watch the future of Enugu children destroyed by illegal and unscrupulous schools and proprietors.”
He said the ministry engaged key stakeholders in the education sector across the state during the revision of the 2024 Enugu State Schools Licensing Fees Regulation,adding that there would be no backing down on the reforms.
