Dr Tunji Alausa
The Federal Government has assured that school fees will not be increased nor will teachers lose their jobs under the proposed public-private management arrangement for King’s College, Lagos.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, gave the assurances during a joint news conference on Wednesday in Abuja to address rising concerns and union protests over the deal.
Alausa clarified that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) aims to mobilize private capital to tackle decades of severe infrastructure decay without transferring ownership from the Federal Government.
He stressed that strict Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and an unannounced inspection monitoring team have been established to enforce compliance.
“There will be no increase in school fees,” Alausa stated, noting that protective clauses were built directly into the MoU to safeguard learners and ensure admissions remain merit-based.
He urged media professionals to independently inspect the state of Unity Colleges to understand the magnitude of the funding gap.
Reassuring affected staff, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad confirmed that no teacher would be laid off. She explained that in line with Public Service Rules, teachers are being offered options to redeploy to preferred institutions, alongside ongoing capacity-building programs.
Ahmad added that while the government remains open to union dialogue and including labor representatives on the monitoring committee, constructive talks can only resume once protesting workers restore normalcy to the ministry.
