FG proscribes NAPTAFGC, bans FGGC, Benin PTA

The Federal Government has declared the National Association of Parent-Teacher Association of Federal Government Colleges (NAPTAFGC) illegal, urging all school principals to have nothing to do with the body.

It has banned indefinitely, the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) of Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC) Benin, Edo State, for alleged gross misconduct, lawlessness and outright usurpation of Federal Government’s powers.

A statement signed by Deputy Director Press of the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong, quoted the minister, Adamu Adamu as saying that the Benin FGGC PTA had imposed parallel school fees on parents, in total disregard to the powers of the Federal
Government.

“The Minister said the PTA in question had, prior to the resumption of schools for the 2016/2017 academic session generated its own school fees, different from the fees approved by the Federal Government, and
circulated same to parents of students of FGGC Benin, with an instruction that the parents should pay only what had been approved by the PTA.

“Not only did Benin PTA generate rival bills to that of government,  the association also physically mobilised parents on the day of resumption and disrupted activities while insisting on the use of their bills”, the statement read.

Deploring the actions of the Benin PTA, the minister said no responsible government would tolerate that level of lawlessness and act of brigandage, adding that he will never allow a, “government within a government” in unity schools.

Adamu, the statement added, described NAPTAFGC, the umbrella body of PTA of unity colleges, as “superfluous, illegal, and an unnecessary financial burden on parents of students of unity colleges across the country.

“The illegal body had surreptitiously and clandestinely organised and promoted mass protests in some unity schools on resumption day over what it called a 300 per cent increase in school fees of unity colleges. School fees have not been increased, but had been realigned and harmonised by removing fees payable to PTA and transferring a fraction of it to the colleges in view of the increased cost of living and the need to adequately care for the students.

“The realignment and harmonisation ensured that PTA development levies, which ranged from (N2, 500 – N75, 000) depending on the school, were cancelled
outright, while N7, 000 was added to boarding fees to enhance the feeding of students,” the statement read.

Adamu described NAPTAFGC argument of a 300 per cent school fee increase as propaganda, intended to raise false alarm, adding that contrary to the impression created that parents are withdrawing their wards from FGCs, the ministry has had the greatest pressure of request for admission into unity schools this year, a clear indication that unity schools are still the preferred destinations.