Unity schools: Parents worry over poor learning, feeding

Recently, the federal government announced over 100 per cent fee increment for new students going to Federal Unity Colleges otherwise known as Federal Government Colleges across the country.  The new students, according to a circular bearing the breakdown of the fee issued to all principals of Federal Unity Colleges from the Office of the Director […]

Recently, the federal government announced over 100 per cent fee increment for new students going to Federal Unity Colleges otherwise known as Federal Government Colleges across the country. 

The new students, according to a circular bearing the breakdown of the fee issued to all principals of Federal Unity Colleges from the Office of the Director of Senior Secondary Education Department of the Federal Ministry of Education with reference number ADF/120/DSSE/I and dated 25th May 2023, are expected to pay N100, 000 as against N45,000  paid last year.

This development has however unsettled parents who, though admitted that the hike is not too bad but the timing, considering the economic hardships Nigerians are going through at the moment as well as the failure of government to carry them along in making such decisions.

The parents also said the federal government should first address the challenges in unity schools before increasing fees.

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A parent who spoke to Daily Trust, Murtala Adewale, said the increment especially for the boarding school was fair because they paid N50,000 from the beginning of the term and that included feeding and accommodation for the term.

“Sincerely, I don’t think the money is too much to feed and accommodate one child for three to four months but because of the situation of the country, everything seems to have skyrocketed; it means you will be telling someone who has three children in the school to pay N300,000. That will be too much because of the economic reality,” he said.

He, however, noted that he is more concerned with the quality of education the children are receiving saying, “FGC is one of the golden academic centres we used to know in those days but the standard is falling.

“The FGC we used to know is no longer what it is; my son’s performance is really declining and I have decided to move him from the school to a private school.”

He maintained that the school his son attends does not have serious challenges in terms of infrastructure but the issue of falling standards.

“I may be wrong but that is what I see in my own child because I know his standard before I took him to FGC.  But I have resolved to take him to a private school even if I have to pay above N100, 000,” he said.

Another parent, Mr Uchenna Ernest, who has three children in one of the unity schools, said the increase came to him as a rude shock and that the government is being insensitive at this point in time considering what Nigerians are going through.

 “It is an insensitive policy move and whatever reason anybody has it is quite insensitive to the plight of the Nigerian citizens. Our government is one in which citizens’ opinion doesn’t come into play. Rather, they do what they want to do; you cry, you go to bed and don’t have any choice,” he said.

He however also stated that the standard of learning in the unity schools has declined noting that years back, people and universities had high level of admiration for unity school graduates as they are seen as properly taught.

“But currently, I have a child going to SS3 who is going to write the next WAEC and I am sure it will shock you that she has never entered a Physics, Chemistry or Biology Lab before. When you should have started WAEC preparation from SS1 and SS2 while SS3 is only like a review class and so academically, Unity schools are nothing to write home about anymore,” he said.

He said: “I don’t know if it is in the area of insufficient teachers or under-qualified teachers or the supervisory role, because if you have teachers and you don’t do proper supervision, obviously they will preoccupy themselves with other things. So academically, unity schools are lagging behind now as they have lost their glory as far as academics are concerned.

“My SS2 science students, when they came back home for holidays, I asked them what is electrolysis and they were just looking at me. I mentioned another topic in physics they were confused and looking at me and said they have not taught them,” he said.

 Another parent, who wants to be addressed as Mr Matthew, said the unity colleges have challenges and that the welfare of the children was poor and disheartening.

“The welfare of the children is nothing to write home about and we literally feed them every day because when they come home, and you ask them how they fed, they will tell you pitiable stories. And now you have to buy the provisions, give them money as the schools have what is called Topshop and that is where the students feed from; alongside the provisions you buy for them.

He further said: “In the last two to three years, it has become a termly affair, as every term you buy all these things including tap head they specify, AKT bulbs, cutlass, hoe, rake, air freshener, bleach, Harpic and dustpan, among others and if you buy the ordinary one your child will not be allowed to enter the school.

Everybody behaves like we don’t know what is going on; we just keep on praying to God to please provide for me, let me not be the black sheep.”

“You bought everything they demanded but the children come back with bed bugs and infections. When you ask them about all the disinfectants and insecticides we bought for them, they will tell you they have never seen it. So obviously they collect them and sell,” he said.

He disclosed that because a few people tried to challenge such things, the director of secondary education issued a directive and threatened any parent that takes the school authority to court, saying they would send the child home,so they cannot even talk or complain.

He said the school has been turned into a money-making venture for the directors, house matron down to the least person in the school.

“If you don’t bribe the matron well, your child will suffer. We pay for things including warm water for your child to take bath with and buy flask and give her, if not, your child will keep bathing cold water irrespective of the weather till she returns home,” he said.

The President General of Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA), Michael Magaji, said they are concerned about the deterioration in the infrastructure of the schools and the quality of manpower even as they are more worried about the increment in school fees because of the economic situation.

He urged government to give parents a more favourable plan, so that those who do not have the money can pay maybe 50 per cent and the remaining across the term to make it a bit lighter for them than everything at once.

On challenges in the schools, he said: “For a very long time, there has been the issue of infrastructure in unity schools, and many of them still have uncompleted structures. What you see sometimes is that the alumni, like us, will contribute to building infrastructure. Some of us have built hostels; some classes, furnished and so on.

“So we are helping the government too in doing that but that notwithstanding government has the primary responsibility for the schools.

“I want to appeal to the government to invest a good portion of the money from the subsidy removal into the unity schools, at least for secondary education, so that where parents have lost in the cost of living, let them gain by the quality of education in schools and money should be assigned from the savings for infrastructure,” he said.

“If the infrastructure is improved significantly, it is easier to justify any increase in fees,” he added.

Reacting, the National Vice President of the National Association of Parents of Federal Unity Schools (NAPAFUS), Lekan Adebayo, said the principals, who are the executives of the schools, are trying their best but the situation in the country is difficult. They feed the students thrice daily and the government has not increased subventions to the schools.

On the schools losing their glory, he disagreed, saying the unity schools have qualified teachers and that government needed to be more dedicated to the funding of the schools.

While noting that the PTAs are supplementing the efforts of government, he said at some point they had 62 staff members engaged and being paid by them and some of them have been PTA teachers for the past 10 years but the government was yet to absorb them officially.

“All these have brought weakness in teaching in unity colleges. But the major challenge is that the schools are underfunded in terms of feeding and academic activities,” he said.

He confirmed the circular issued by the government threatening parents not to challenge the school authorities, saying, the association has fixed a meeting in two weeks’ time to respond to the circular.

“It is very dictatorial and anti-democratic, it should be condemned. Why should they say if I challenge the authority of the school in a court of law they will send my child home?” he said.

Reacting to the development, the Director of Press and Public Affairs at the Federal Ministry of Education, Bem Ben Goong, challenged the parents to provide evidence of any specific school that has poor infrastructure.

On quality of learning, he said children are subjected to examinations like WAEC, NECO and others “Had there been a drop in the quality of the results?

“If one child is not doing well, it should not be a subject for media attention; unless there is a general decline. We have statistics to show for it.

“If there is anything unity schools should not complain of it is infrastructure because there is massive infrastructure in unity schools unless they are talking about the management of the infrastructure then I can listen to the person.

“Parents should not generalize but come and specify which of the schools they are complaining about.”

On fees, he asked, “How do you improve the quality of your feeding before you add school fees?”

On the circular, he said there are challenges in government schools but that the schools are governed by guidelines and will continue to maintain rules and regulations.