PRIVATE SCHOOLS SEEK MORE SUPPORT FROM LAGOS GOVT
Abolaji Adebayo
Few weeks after the Lagos State Government partnered with First Bank to launch a N5billion support facility to enable low-income private schools to obtain loans at cheaper rates to cope with Covid-19 effects, other private school owners are asking for direct subsidies to support the sector.
They are anchoring their call on the fact that the private schools cater for more than 70 per cent of pupils in primary schools and students in secondary schools in the state and thus better positioned to achieve the government’s literacy goals.
Possible options proposed by stakeholders include the provision of vouchers and scholarships to children attending private schools to reduce or offset the burden of their parents.
The dominant role of private over public sector in education in Lagos State was first proven with data in 2010 when the World Bank released a study -The Role of the Private Sector in Lagos, Nigeria.
Authored by Hussein Abdul-Hamid, Donald Baum, Oni Lusk-Stover and Hugo Wesley, the report, which focused on Ajeromi- Ifelodun Local Government Area as a case study, noted that while there were 34, 707 pupils in 74 public schools, there were 94,099 pupils in 724 private primary schools.
Its conclusion: “Private schools are currently educating the majority of primary and secondary students in Lagos State. As such, Lagos is one of the largest private school markets in the world.”
They recommended scholarships and vouchers to students to support private schools.
According to them: “The government of Lagos State needs to carefully consider how vouchers and scholarships will be targeted, whether by proxy measures, community ranking, or self-selection. Each method has advantage, or disadvantages and needs to be tailored to the Lagos State context. The institutional arrangements to implement vouchers and or scholarships are also equally important to ensure that the support effectively reaches the poorest.”
In 2011, a study by the Education Support Programme In Nigeria (ESPIN) found out that there were 12,098 private schools in Lagos State catering for 1,385,190 pupils in public and primary schools.
It disclosed the increasing role of schools associations such as the Association for Formidable Education Development (AFFED) and the National Association of Private Schools in defending the common interests of private school owners.
The fact that the figures have increased over the years was provided by the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo while rendering the stewardship of the ministry on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
She disclosed that there are 20,000 private schools in Lagos State but less than 5000 are registered, adding that many are not fit for approval.
Compared to the private sector, sources at the State Universal Basic Education Board disclosed that there are 1,017 primary schools, 357 junior secondary schools and 327 senior secondary schools. The total: 1,701.
One of the private school owners in Lagos State, Mrs Shakirah Adeleke, said the private school owners need to be supported to be able to increase the capacity of their workforce to deliver education to the citizens.
Apart from financial support, Adeleke, who is a member of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), said the private school owners in Lagos State deserve commendation and recognition, claiming that they employ more workers than the government-controlled schools and contribute immensely to the economic growth of the state.
According to her, the salaries and welfare packages of the private school teachers may be meagre compared to their counterparts in the public schools but their employees cater for their families with what the private schools pay.
“A lot has been said and read about the buts of school owners but not much has been said in their praise. While we condemn the high-handedness, disrespectful attitude and other vices of some of these school owners, we should also appreciate them for adding value to the economy and life at large.”
She said the figures of enrollment in public and private schools show that the private sector is dominating education and should get more support from the government.
“What this means is that private school owners provide more employment than the government. I do not know if this is how it is in other climes. But for the intervention of private schools here in Nigeria especially Lagos, many graduates would not only be left jobless but would also have no opportunity to prove they’re educated,” Adeleke commented.
