The parents’ forum claims that until the increase in boarding expenses is removed, their wards would not return for the upcoming academic year.

The recent increase in the feeding fees at Lagos Model Colleges from N35,000 to N100,000 has been denounced by the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC).

It was reported on Sunday that parents of students enrolled in the model colleges had threatened to pull their kids out of the institutions due to the recent increase in boarding costs.

Thus, the parents requested that the boarding cost increase be reversed.

The parents’ forum claims that until the increase in boarding expenses is removed, their wards would not return for the upcoming academic year.

Surv. Dapo Dawodu, the Chairman of the Parents’ Forum of Lagos Model Colleges, bemoaned the “greed” that drove the rise in a statement released on Saturday night.

The stupid and provocative 200% increase in boarding fees for our children by the blindly corrupt staff of the Lagos State Ministry of Education has caused an avalanche of outpouring of tremendous disgust, grief, and deep frustration, he declared.

And it was really regrettable that the ministry’s leadership allowed these enemies of the good people of Lagos State—you, the parents—to indulge their excessive greed.

“To be clear, in a school with 1000 students, the N100,000 term fee translates to N100 million in the school principal’s pocket to feed the children in just three months!”

Francis Nwapa, National Secretary of the YRC, released a press release in which the organisation charged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of being “shameless” and “insensitive” to the current economic realities that Nigerians are suffering.

“The Nigerian capitalist ruling elites push the consequences of the crises they created on the poor,” the declaration adds. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, has led the state’s public education system further lower than Tinubu did when he was governor, demonstrating how disgusting their actions are.

“Tinubu has persisted in completely commercialising education through his student loan policies while also dismantling public education at the federal level.

“Nigerian children should not be denied access to education; instead, they should receive free, high-quality education at all levels.” All well-meaning Nigerians must speak out against this attempt to restrict education to the wealthy and keep the children of the impoverished, who make up more than 90% of the country’s population, out of school.

We oppose the commercialisation of education. Not a privilege, but a right, is education.

On Sunday, parents of boarders at the Eva Adelaja Girls Grammar School in Bariga, Lagos State, demonstrated against the increase in tuition.

The university is recognised as one of the state’s model colleges.

Chanting catchphrases, the parents barraged the school grounds, demanding that the fee increase be immediately reversed.