Parents, students stranded as NOWA insist on school fees hike
Increment
Parents of students of Navy Officers Wife Association (NOWA) School Abuja have condemned the actions of the school’s management on refusal to revert back to the old school fees.
Some parents who spoke to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday called on the school management to obey the court summon served on it by the Parent Teachers Association (PTA).
It would be recalled that a court injunction was placed on the school restraining them from implementing the hike in tuition fees.
However, in spite of the court injunction, NOWA turned back students and shut out parents and their wards who paid the usual fees as contained in the teller given to the students at the end of last term less the contentious increment.
The parents described the development as unimpressive as the school looked scantily populated with several students who resumed school without paying the increment were turned back.
The parents argued that the increment in the school fees a day or two to the second term of the 2022/2023 academic resumption was uncalled for and should be reversed.
A parent, who preferred anonymity, said Tellers of N355,000 was originally given to his child as the school fees for second term but was surprised a day to second term resumption of an increase.
”After the payment was made, about two days to the resumption, the school’s management made an increment to the school fees to the tune of N50,000 and expects us to pay. Where is that done?
”I am yet to clear my child now because they are insisting that I pay #100,000, which according to them is the outstanding of second and third term school fees.
”The management has been summoned by a court and according to the summon, we are not suppose to pay any additional fee aside the original old school fee until the court decides so.
” Look at us now, our children are being turned back from school, while we the parents are being shut out of the gate,” the parent said.
Another parent also said the issue was not just the amount involved but the failure of the school authorities to dialogue with parents.
She said that the increment was the second in a session which had led to the PTA seeking a restraining order.
She called on the school authorities to obey the court order and allow their children resume school pending when the matter was resolved in court or through dialogue.
Speaking to the school’s Vice Principal, Admin, Mr Peter Omodara, he said that the increment was the decision of the school management and made compulsory for parents to adhere to.
”This is what the school issued. The only thing that is not here is N50,000. If the N50,000 is there, it would have been N405,000. And we have been told that if you have paid less of 50,000 you should be cleared also.
However, a visit to the school Finance Officer (FO), Yusuf Hinni, for further clarifications, revealed that the N50,000 increment had not been cancelled but that students should be received in as it would be registered as outstanding.
Hinni explained that the increment which was not paid would be recognised as outstanding payment.
Calling his attention to the court summon, he said: ” That is just a summon, the school have taken reply, that was why they said we should stand out and clear.
” So they are not cancelling it. They just observed that some parents have paid while some have not paid.
All efforts to reach other management team proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
