Nigeria is estimated to have the highest number of out-of-school
children globally, with over 10.5 million children, according to United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (
UNESCO). Of this lot, Lagos State is said to share 33,000 of the number, as noted in a
2014 DFID
report. The majority of the children live in rural areas and the antics
of local school authorities contribute highly in forcing them out of
school. Ripples Nigeria, in this investigation, unravels the corrupt
acts of some local school authorities in Ajegunle, Lagos state.
For Peter and friends, there won’t be school this term or even next term!
On
a cool Monday morning at a slum in Ajegunle, a surbub in
Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, Peter Adekanbi,
an 11-year-old boy who had just concluded primary education in a public
school, and waiting to be enrolled in a public secondary school, was
lost in a game of football.
He was not alone.
There were six other children, aged between
7-12 years, who were enjoying the round-leather game with Adekanbi. Many
other teens in Tolu-Ajegunle community loafed around while their mates
were in different schools learning. This Monday morning held no special
attraction to these seemingly jobless young lads. Just, perhaps.
Adekanbi
loved football but he also had beautiful dreams about schooling. When
asked why he was not in school but playing football on a Monday morning,
he said: “I have not paid the N1, 500 registration fee the principal of
Alakoto Junior Secondary School asked my mum to pay.
“We are in
the middle of the first term and I do not think I will go to school this
term again or even next term because my mum does not have money.”
Adekanbi hurried back to join others who had suspended play in his
absence.
Alakoto Junior High School… Adekanbi’s mom could not afford the fee
Adekanbi’s
case is one of the thousands in Ajegunle where parents lament that
authorities in public primary and secondary schools deprive their
children of education, as a result of the inability to pay some illegal
fees and other levies imposed by the schools.
Some parents in
Ajegunle, who felt the need to send their children to school as a result
of persuasions by concerned Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and
individuals, alleged that the corrupt practice of collecting money from
them, in the form of fees and sundry levies, forced families to withdraw
their children from schools.
A mother’s cry… ‘I took them home since I couldn’t afford to pay’
Adekanbi’s
tale was amplified by a mother in her late 30s who simply identified
herself as Iya Aminat. She shared the story of her encounter with
authorities at Wowo Nursery and Primary school, Ajegunle, where she had
made futile attempts to enrol three of her children. “The child I wanted
to put there was to be enrolled in primary one but the teacher demanded
N3, 000. The other child was to be enrolled in a nursery class, but the
teacher asked me to pay N2, 000 before the child could be admitted.”
Wowo Nursery/Primary School… Iya Aminat took the kids home because she couldn’t afford to pay
Iya
Aminat’s pleas for some concessions fell on deaf ears, and when the
authorities insisted that she had to part with the exact fees, she
sought cheaper alternatives that were far from her abode. “I now took
them home since I could not afford to pay. I then took them to Apapa. At
a school in Apapa, they collected N500 for one of my children to be
enrolled in a nursery class. Apapa is very far from here (Ajegunle).
Sometimes, if there is no money for transport, they will stay at home
and not go to school for days, sometimes weeks,” she said.
Iya
Aminat, whose abode is a decrepit one-room apartment, runs a make-shift
tailoring outfit in the same one-room structure which she shares with
the rest of the family. She fears that if nothing is done to alleviate
the plight of the poor, many parents would end up not sending their
children to school. She added that there were already numerous children
in the area who had stopped going to school.
‘There’s nothing free in government schools…we pay N1,500 per term’
Snide
remarks now trail what is generally known as Parents-Teacher
Association (PTA) in Alakoto Junior Secondary School and other schools
in Ajegunle. Indigent parents now organize meetings and provide funds in
order to assist schools in rendering quality education to their
children.
“I pay N1, 500 per term in Alakoto which the Head
Teacher uses to run the school, in addition to government funds,” says
Mrs. Comfort Ogar, whose daughter attends Alakoto School.
Local Authority Primary School… Nothing is free in govt schools
“Many
parents have not paid and it is a big problem. They asked children who
have not paid to go home. There are about 500 students in the school,
only few students passed in the last Junior Secondary School Certificate
Examinations (JSSCE).”
Ogar said that pupils in the school offer
13 subjects, and that school authorities in Alakoto claim that the
institution had only three teachers. The shortfall, Ripples Nigeria
learnt, is addressed through extra recruitments funded by parents. “We
were asked to pay N1, 500 per term as school fees so that the teachers
can teach and be paid,” says Ogar.
Ripples Nigeria searches
revealed that some retired teachers were brought back by the school
management without the knowledge of the State Universal Basic Education
Board (SUBEB). Students are, however, compelled to pay N1, 500 in
Alakoto, N2, 500 in other schools, and students who fail to pay as and
at when due are forced to go home.
Dilapidated building and fallen fence of St Mary, Abukuru… Most schools lack amenities and teachers
Ogar
said, “Schools in Ajegunle lack teachers and students are being
affected academically. Since the government is not employing, they have
to bring back retired teachers. They had to call the parents. It is the
parents that now pay salaries of the extra teachers instead of the
government. There is nothing free in government schools. They speak of
free education. I do not see anything free because my daughter just
resumed JSS1 and I know what came out from my pocket.”
Parents get scammed, free education policy suffers
When
Ripples Nigeria visited Alakoto Junior Secondary School for further
investigation, the school principal acknowledged that they lacked
teachers in the school but denied that they charge parents to pay school
fees.
Further investigations, however, revealed that teachers in
some areas of Ajegunle charge parents some amount of money to admit
children into various schools. This is usually paid per term. Some of
the teachers do not care if parents had the money to pay or not. They
only admit pupils whose parents pay the fees demanded and abandon
others.
‘It’s N2,500…there is no negotiation’
Dressed like an indigent fellow, with bushy and unkempt hair, Ripples
Nigeria undercover Reporter visited schools in Ajegunle, posing as a
prospective parent in search of admission for his wards, the objective
of which was to establish if he would be charged illegal fees. At Olodi
Nursery and Primary School, his experience with the secretary to head of
the school went thus:
Olodi Nursery/Primary School… illegal fees are fixed and non-negotiable
“Please,
I want to register two of my wards in your school and I have come to
know the requirements; one in primary two and the other in nursery one,”
our Reporter said to the man who seemed to be in his late 50s.
He
replied, “N2, 500 is for the registration fee, both for nursery and
primary school pupils and there is no negotiation. You will sew the
uniforms yourself, buy a badge for N100.”
“This is a public school and I am not supposed to pay any charge. It is supposed to be free,” the journalist retorted.”
He restated that the fees were non-negotiable, and that if the
undercover agent was not ready to pay, he should leave. The Reporter
agreed to pay the fee but was told he could not be issued a receipt for
verification. Convinced of the illegality of the transaction, the
journalist left!
‘It’s a token…if you pay this term, you only get to pay again next session!’
At Wowo Nursery and Primary School, the story was the same. The
Headmistress said primary one pupils would have to pay N2, 000 while
those in Nursery one would have to cough out N1, 000 for registration.
“It is just a token; when you pay this term, you will not pay anything
till a new session begins. At the point of entrance, this is what we
pay. Sportswear is N1, 500, a badge is N200 and cap is N300. Sports levy
N1, 000. Soak away is N500. Uniform is sold for N1000.” She also failed
to issue a receipt after an attempt to pay the fee.
At Local
Authority Primary School 2, Amukoko, the headmistress, Mrs. Rachael
Adenola said registration is N1, 000 for nursery and primary. She said
the school employs people to take care of the toilets and that each
student in nursery and primary school is expected to pay the sum of N200
every month. This claim was confirmed to be true but Ripples Nigeria
could not ascertain the exact student population to figure out income
earned from toilet fees.
Local Authority Primary School II… No receipts issued for illegal fees
The
leadership at Local Authority Primary School 2 would also not issue any
receipts to our undercover Reporter even though he was willing and
ready to pay. It was clear that if the payments were legal, the school
administration would have been confident to issue receipts.
The
headmistress of Ajeromi Public Primary School, Mrs. Eucharia Kamalu, in
order to convince our Reporter to pay the fee said that the form which
is being used to register students can only be obtained at Lagos State
Secretariat in Alausa or at banks, adding that, because of the stress,
they collect the money and purchase the forms themselves.
Ajeromi Public Primary School… ‘Registration forms can only be obtained from State Secretariat, Alausa’
“N1,
500 is the registration form for both nursery and primary. We go to
Alausa to purchase the forms or you pay the money in the bank. Because
of the stress, that is why we collect the money here and obtain the form
for them and fill the necessary things,” she said. Ripples Nigeria
requested for the account details so that necessary payments could be
effected at the bank but this was declined.
The Reporter was
persuaded to pay the fee instead of going to the bank or Alausa. Of
course, this offer was resisted, knowing the illegality of the act.
Dialogue of the deaf…Government officials unmoved to act
The
founder of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Dreams from the Slum
Initiative, Mr. Isaac Omoyele, who grew up in Ajegunle and established
the initiative to take out-of-school children in Ajegunle back to
school, has been fighting teachers for over seven years to stop illegal
collections.
“Lagos State government made public school education
free. Teachers collect money ranging from N1, 500 to N3, 000 from
parents and there are thousands of them who do not have anything to eat.
We threatened the teachers. Yet, nothing happened. It is a big barrier
and that is why many children do not go to school in Ajegunle,” Omoyele
said.
A frustrated Omoyele drew the Reporter’s attention to a
letter he sent to the Education Secretary, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local
Government Area, Mr. Aboluwodi Solomon Ademofe, in which he raised
concerns about the corrupt activities of some school administrators
while at the same time pleading for absorption of indigent children into
schools.
Dreams From The Slum Initiative… Request to meet with Education Secretary failed to hold after nearly 2yrs.
Dated
Friday, September 11, 2015 and signed by Mr. Omoyele, the letter read
in part: “As part of our mission to ensure every child has access to
quality basic education, reduce the number of children that are out of
school by adopting them back to school and facilitating access to
psychological support for children and youths with special needs, we
humbly request for approval from your office for the following:
‘Give access to us to send poor out of school children to school without monetary restrictions.’
A
copy of the letter seen by Ripples Nigeria indicated that it was duly
acknowledged by the office of the Education Secretary. However, the
requests by the NGO have not been replied and or approved nearly two
years after.
“It was as a result of actions not being taken that
teachers continue charging parents. The Education Secretary since then
has always prevented me from seeing him. His Personal Assistant gives us
excuses whenever we go to his office to see him. If he refuses to
approve the letter, then it could be assumed that he is the one telling
teachers to charge parents for fees,” Omoyele of Dreams from the Slum
Initiative alleged.
Enmeshed in corruption…Education Ministry officials dump merit for bribes
Teachers in Ajeromi-Ifelodun may have been collecting school fees and
other sundry levies from students and parents, but a very reliable
source who is a Head Teacher (names withheld) in one of the 78 primary
schools in the local government said that the teachers’ action is tied
to the pressure being mounted on them by the Education Secretary of
Ajeromi-Ifelodun, who allegedly compelled teachers to pay him what she
referred to as “duty post.”
According to the Head Teacher, who
repeatedly pleaded not to be mentioned for the fear of being victimized,
the ‘duty post’ fee is a huge sum of money being paid to the Education
Secretary to influence appointment as Head Teachers or Assistant Head
Teachers in schools in the local government. The ‘must pay’ arrangement,
she claimed, is the reason that teachers compel students and parents to
pay school fees, and those who refuse to pay are forced to withdraw
their children from school.
“Duty
post is not even meant to be paid for. It is supposed to be a form of
selection. You go for the exam, so when you qualify, you will be
appointed to head a school. But in this case, it is no more exams. When
you pay, you will see a place where, maybe a level 14 officer will be
heading a level 15 because he could pay,” our source said.
“They
pay according to the population of their schools. If the school is
large, teachers will pay about N150, 000 to be appointed as a Head
Teacher. Some pay N100, 000. If you want to be an Assistant Head
Teacher, you will have to pay the sum of about N80, 000. The amount
being paid is dependent on the population of the school. You pay, either
to become a Head Teacher or to become an assistant. His Personal
Assistant collects the money and gives to his boss,” our source alleged.
How to fall out of favour…An insider’s account
“Because I could not pay, that was why I was moved to another school, a
less attractive location. A teacher is supposed to stay for five years
in a school but I stayed for a year and few months and I was transferred
because I refused to pay. The Secretary only puts teachers who are
ready to cooperate by milking indigent parents and making returns to him
in order to occupy positions of Head Teachers. But I will not and never
do it,” the insider said.
“The normal thing is that we are
supposed to go for an exam at SUBEB. We are supposed to be called for an
exam or interview before we can be appointed as heads. But that rarely
happens. The secretary simply collects gratification and will not make
appoints until a teacher is retiring from any of the schools and he will
replace same with teachers who pay him,” she added.
Is the office of the Education Secretary a cash cow?
There are 78 primary schools in Ajeromi-Ifelodun local government under
the control of the Education Secretary. With N150, 000 fleeced from
each Head Teacher, that would amount to N11.7 million. If a similar
computation is done for Assistant Head Teachers who are allegedly
fleeced about N80,000 each, that would amount to N6.2million.
Altogether, the office of the Education Secretary may attract a handsome
informal income of N17.9 million which is allegedly shared by a cabal.
“Corruption
is eating deep into our local school authorities. You can hardly go to
that Secretary’s office without paying something. He is in charge of
every payment. He was appointed for political reasons and I think he is
doing that because of the political pressure,” our source who is very
familiar with goings-on in the system said.
‘Out-of-school children? We’re taking care of them’
The Education Secretary, Mr Ademofe, appeared a very busy man with an
endless stream of visitors seeking his attention. Like every public
servant, he first looked uncomfortable in the company of our Reporter
but eased off soon after Ripples Nigeria sought to know what his office
was doing to address the case of out-of-school children.
“The
Lagos state government is taking good care of them. For instance, we
have different programmes to empower them. We have creative centres
where we train some of them. Some of them are trained as fashion
designers. Some of them are trained as hairdressers. Some of them are
trained for different handiwork,” Ademofe said.
St Mary (R.C.M.)… Education Secretary claims SBMC has tackled all problems facing the schools
He
said that the local government was also empowering them. “After we
train them, we get materials for them to empower them so that they will
continue to move forward. Virtually, as far as Ajegunle is concerned,
God has given us the vision to take care of our children that are out of
school. As far as Ajegunle is concerned, out-of-school children are not
having problems in Ajeromi-Ifelodun.
“There are no challenges
because through the School-Based Management Community (SBMC) forum, we
have been able to tackle all the problems. We have the Parents’ Forum.
The educationists and all the politicians are on it. We have been able
to tackle the problems,” he said.
Perhaps, to further drive home
the clinical efficiency of job done, Ademofe added, “That is why there
are no hoodlums in Ajeromi-Ifelodun local government. Everybody now
moves freely. No bad boys attacking people, anybody or snatching bags
unnecessarily because everybody is virtually engaged.”
‘No bad boys but…There are always bad eggs’
Confronted by findings dug up in the course of Ripples Nigeria
investigations, Ademofe vigorously denied the allegation of local school
authorities extorting money from indigent parents.
He said, “As
far as teachers are concerned in this Ajeromi-Ifelofun, there is no
teacher collecting that (school fees). Some parents are just telling
lies. I am just hearing it. There is nothing like that.
“Teachers
are now refined. I have warned them. No illegal collection from any
angle and they have complied. No illegal collection at Ajeromi-Ifelodun
local government. I’m on top. And none of them is collecting money from
anybody.”
For emphasis, he added, “I want you to take note of it…
in any organization, you must have one or two bad eggs and I have been
trying to fish them out. Registration from primary one and early
childhood care and development is free. For transfer from public to
public is N1000 whereas from private to public is N2000.”
Ademofe
would also vehemently deny knowledge of a request by any NGO asking for
accelerated attention to be given to the case of parents who were
alleging corruption on the part of local school authorities, and
demanding for unadulterated implementation of the state’s free education
policy.
“I am not aware. Don’t mind these people. I have not seen
it. I think it’s there with my Personal Assistant and he has not
presented it. Well, I was not on the seat at that time. I came on board
December 1, 2015. So, I don’t know anything about it. The then-officer
had left. He did not present it to me.”
However, contrary to his
claims, Ademofe was the substantive Education Secretary when the letter
from Dreams from the Slum Initiative, dated September 11, 2015, arrived
his desk. He had assumed office on December 1, 2015.
Omoyele who
led the NGO told Ripples Nigeria of his frustrations, lamenting that
Ademofe’s Personal Assistant always prevented him from doing a follow up
each time he visited.
And… One more scandal
The school for the physically challenged, Anglican School, Abukuru, was
not spared the incidence of mal-administration. A reliable source had
confided in Ripples Nigeria that a bus assigned for the comfort of the
students was being abused by politicians who were deploying same for
political rallies.
“Every day I see the students who can’t walk,
speak or see grappling to trek home because the bus provided for them
was being used for political activities. It is bad,” said the source
that refused to be named.
Pupils of St Mary… Though not out-of-school, the environment speaks volume of their challenges
Another
staff of the institution, after much pressure, volunteered, “Sometimes,
the bus is used for distributing posters or flyers within the local
government, especially during the local government election or when the
school is not in session.”
The Education Secretary, Ademofe, however, admitted that such tales belonged to the past.
“That
was before. It has been peacefully resolved. If you go there now, you
will see the bus taking the pupils to their various homes and bringing
them to school. The bus was bad before, that was why it was not in use
for some time. The bus is only used for rallies, maybe during holidays
when the pupils are not in session. But they are now using the bus for
the purpose that it’s meant for,” he said.
Is Lagos SUBEB being out smarted by corrupt local school authorities?
The Lagos state government operates a compulsory free primary and
secondary school education system and no school or teacher is mandated
to charge parents to pay school and registration fees, according to the
Executive Secretary, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board
(SUBEB), Mrs. Abosede Adelaja, who was interviewed in the course of the
investigation.
Bose Adelaja, Executive Secretary SUBEB…. Is her agency being out-smarted by corrupt local school authorities?
When
confronted with Ripples Nigeria findings in the Ajeromi-Ifelodun local
government, Adelaja expressed shock saying, “There is what we call zero
tolerance for illegal collection in our schools and all schools have
been warned. I am surprised to hear such. Series of meetings have been
held to let school authorities know that illegal collection is not
allowed in our public schools. Parents are not required to pay a dime.
If you look at the registration handbill and posters, it is clearly
written that registration is free.
‘If they charge and you pay, you are also a collaborator’
“I
don’t see why someone who will read that will be required to pay and
still go and pay. In fact, we are giving out numbers that in case such
things happen, parents should feel free to call us. If they charge you
and you pay, you are also a collaborator, because it has been clearly
written. I do not see why people will pay because if unscrupulous
elements request for such money, I expect such people who are supporters
of quality education in Lagos state to call on the authorities to take
action.”
As regards the lack of teachers in the schools, Adelaja
said that the state government just employed 1, 300 teachers for primary
schools and 1, 000 for secondary schools. “We provide cleaners and
security in public primary and secondary schools. Parents are not
supposed to pay a dime. There is a shortage of them but this government
is trying to provide all. It is zero tolerance. You cannot rule out
unscrupulous elements whom when they are discovered are seriously dealt
with according to the rules and regulations in Nigeria,” she said.
Questions…and more questions
The assurances from Adelaja, though consoling, leaves many questions
unanswered. What internal mechanisms are in place to fish out corrupt
local school authority administrators who are bent on frustrating the
state’s free education policy? How can the State help indigent parents
who are already too weak financially to overcome intimidation and
blackmail from desperate and corrupt public servants? Indeed, given the
very sensitive nature of the education sector, should strategic
portfolios be used to settle political allies who may well be
ill-equipped to manage public schools?
These are the key questions
the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration in Lagos must choose to address
if it’s not to dangle dangerously on the list of states with rising
number of out-of-school children.
By Jonathan Nanmwa Benard
Race Studio daily news
Just when the people of Taagbe village of Bassa Local Government area
of Plateau State are still in shock over the Sunday attack that claimed
six of the villagers, another 23 persons have been feared killed in a
fresh attack on Nkiedonwhro village of the same local government area in
the early hours of Monday.
