Posted on: 02:29 Tue, 15 Mar 2016



Private schools in Ekiti State on
Monday began a three-day strike to
protest the imposition of N1,000
development levy per term on their
pupils by Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The state government had
announced N1, 000 per term as
education development levy for
public secondary school pupils
while those in primary schools
were to pay N500.

The government, however, in a
circular by the Ministry of
Education, extended the
development levy to private
schools.

But the National Association of
Proprietors and Proprietress of
Private Schools in Ekiti State
contended that the extension of the
levy to private schools ran contrary
to the spirit and letters of Section
42(1) (a) and (b) of the 1999
Constitution.

The President of the association,
Alhaji Saka Adeleye, while
addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti
on Monday, said private schools in
the state would remain shut for
three days to protest multiple
taxation from the government.

Adeleye wondered why the
government extended the levy to
private schools that enjoyed no
benefit from the government,
despite paying 12 different taxes
imposed on them.

He listed the taxes to include
Annual Renewal Fee, Personal
Income Tax, Pay As You Earn for
staff, Personal Development Fee,
Registration of Business Premises
Fee, Environment Levy, Vehicle
Permit fee and Tenement Rate.

The NAPPS president added, “There
is no infrastructural development
to private schools. Nothing was
given to us to develop our schools;
all they (government) do is to extort
us through taxes. Even during the
outbreak of the deadly disease,
Ebola, no kit was given to us.

“We use our capital to fund our
schools; not even textbooks, chalks
from the government. The
government distributed laptops to
public schools but not one was
given to private schools. So what
are we gaining?

“Even if the government decides to
reduce the development levy, we
are not ready to pay. We have
made several attempts to meet the
governor but all effort proved
abortive.

“We call on the ministry to
withdraw forthwith all the circular
letters relating to payment of the
newly introduced development levy
in private schools in the state and/
or any other development levy.”