BY SEYIFUNMI LUMEKO
Private schools owners in Bayelsa State have been urged by the State Ministry of Education to waive first term school fees for parents due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on students.
Proprietors acceded to the demands of parents during the meeting between the state Ministry of Education and the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Nigeria Union of Teachers, and the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools of Nigeria held at the Education House in Yenagoa
At the meeting, the stakeholders agreed that whereas first fees were not justifiable, the collection of fees for the third term was justifiable in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating flood which forced the government to shut down schools two weeks.
Speaking in this regard, the Commissioner for Education, who chaired the meeting, Gentle Emelah, said the decision was aimed at easing the financial burden on parents.
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“For the sake of fairness, the government thought it wise to consider the parents seeing that the pandemic and the flood situation brought hardship to everyone
“It is very necessary to ease parents of some pressure. There is the need for schools to resume and quickly round off the outstanding third term and immediately resume the first term without a new fee charged for the term,” he said.
