By Alade Adisa
Almost two weeks after schools resumed for the second term of the 2024/2025 session, most of the model colleges in Lagos are still experiencing low turnout of students due to the increase in fees for boarding students.
Most of the students in the model colleges are boarders, it is only a few that are day students.
The fee is for their feeding throughout the term.
The Lagos State government increased the fee for boarders to N100,000 from N35,000 per term.
Checks by New Daily Prime showed that the increase of about 185 per cent in the fee has kept some students at home, away from school.
Late last year, when the state government announced the increase in fees, parents and guardians protested the development.
A meeting held between the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Tayo Ayinde and the Parents Forum of Model Colleges, led by Mr Dapo Dawodu, did not yield any positive results.
The government stuck to its guns and the parents rejected the new fee regime.
Parents pleaded for between N45,000 and N50,000, while at a point, the government team was about yielding to N70,000.
However, when schools resumed, the only option parents saw while trying to pay fee was N100,000.
At Model Colleges in Meiran, Igbokuta, Ikorodu and others, most of the students have not resumed.
A parent, Ojuola Saheed, called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to look into the matter.
“This is supposed to be a kind of support from the government to the citizens. The colleges are not private ones. Some people have two or more children in the colleges across the state and with the economic situation in the country, coping has been difficult. We call on the government to reduce the fee. The hike is too high,” he said.
