The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has warned that concessioning King’s College, Lagos, could pave the way for similar arrangements involving other Federal Unity Colleges.
NLC President Joe Ajaero said allowing the proposed takeover by the school’s old students could establish a precedent for handing other Unity Colleges to organisations whose capacity to manage them may be uncertain. He made the remarks in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.
Ajaero said the proposed concession had generated protests from groups and individuals concerned about the future of public secondary education and the management of Unity Colleges.
He acknowledged that the initiative by King’s College old students was driven by a genuine desire to restore the school’s lost glory after years of neglect, underfunding, corruption, indiscipline and deteriorating services.
“However, buried in this noble initiative lurks grave danger for our secondary school education under the superintendency of government,” Ajaero said.
He warned that if the initiative succeeded, other Unity Colleges could be concessioned to organizations with limited capacity to manage secondary education effectively.
“Once the King’s College Old Boys’ initiative succeeds, relying on precedent, other Unity Colleges will be concessioned to nebulous entities,” he said.
According to him, such arrangements could create further challenges for the public school system and eventually lead to the introduction of new school fees and tariffs.
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He said higher costs could make the colleges inaccessible to students from average-income families. “Yet, the obligation to educate its citizenry resides with the State. It is a duty it cannot abdicate,” he said.
Ajaero argued that the government had previously taken over schools from missionary organizations and should therefore continue to shoulder responsibility for secondary education.
He said the government’s financial burden should be considerably lower after assuming responsibility for schools previously owned and managed by missionary organizations.
“Even in advanced economies, there are quite a number of schools, including universities, that are funded by government. Why would our case be different?” he asked.
The NLC president said the labour union supported protests against the proposed concession of King’s College and other Unity Colleges, urging the government to adequately fund and maintain the institutions.
He said the colleges had made significant contributions to national unity and quality education, adding that their historical contributions could not be quantified.
“Rather than sell the schools through the back door, government should maintain or sustain the culture of open competition between missionary schools, private schools and government schools,” he said.
Ajaero urged the government to preserve the colleges through adequate funding and effective management to sustain their contribution to national development. “Finally, even as we run a market economy, what will be too sacred for government to concession?” he asked.
NAN
