Falana condemns the federal and Lagos state governments for the recent N100,000 increase in school fees. Read his full critique here.
The recent increase in school fees by the Federal and Lagos State governments has been deemed illegal by Femi Falana, a Human Rights Lawyer.
OBASANJONEWS recollects that in July 2023, the federal government augmented Unity Schools’ charges from N45,000 to N100,000 per term. This indicates a boost of more than 120 percent.
Similarly, the Lagos State Government declared over the weekend that there will be a new fee of N100,000 for state-owned boarding schools. This is an increase from the previous amount of N35,000.
Falana deemed it a breach of the Child’s Rights Law and responded accordingly.
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He expressed sorrow over the fact that due to the increase exceeding N70,000 in Minimum Wage, a worker can no longer afford to sponsor even one child for either Unity School or any secondary school in Lagos State.
Nonetheless, the senior attorney pledged to contest the ruling in the suitable High Court.
In all unity schools, the fee payable per term has been raised from N45,000 to N100,000 by the federal government. As a result of this change, each student is required to pay an annual sum of N300,000 as tuition fees.
In the same vein, each student enrolled in secondary schools across Lagos State must remit a fee of N100,000 per term or N300,000 annually as stipulated by the government.
With a minimum wage of N70,000, a worker earns only N28,000 per four-month term. This means that they can no longer afford to sponsor the education of even one child in either unity schools or any secondary school within Lagos State.
It is illegal to charge N100,000 fees for junior secondary school students in Unity Schools and Secondary schools in Lagos because every child has the right to free and compulsory education from primary through junior secondary school according to both the Child’s Rights Act and Lagos State Child’s Rights Law.
He argued that the High Court with jurisdiction will challenge the illegal imposition of prohibitive fees on junior secondary school students in accordance with Child’s Rights Laws applicable throughout all states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory.
