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Mr. Adeolu Ogunbanjo, Chairman, Board of Trustees, National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), has opposed the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos.
Ogunbanjo spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, following the Federal Ministry of Education’s directive on the concession.
He described the proposed concession to the King’s College Old Boys (KCOB) Association as worrisome, questioning the rationale for relinquishing control of a foremost unity school.
According to him, the development could undermine access to the college, particularly if the new management substantially increases school fees.
“Affordability will become a major concern for parents, potentially denying many families access to King’s College if fees increase substantially,” Ogunbanjo said.
He questioned whether the Federal Government had decided it could no longer manage unity schools and demanded clarity on the reasons behind the proposal.
“If government can no longer run unity schools, it should explain clearly why it wants to concession King’s College to the old boys association,” he said.
Ogunbanjo warned that concessioning King’s College could trigger similar demands from old students’ associations of other Federal Government Colleges.
“Once King’s College is concessioned, other Federal Government Colleges may follow, creating pressure for government to surrender control of unity schools,” he said.
The NAPTAN chairman challenged the Federal Government to disclose whether it had developed a policy for transferring unity-school management to private organisations.
“If government wants to withdraw from managing unity schools, it should tell Nigerians clearly and state its reasons,” he said.
He also raised concerns about staff welfare, employment status and working conditions, saying these issues must be resolved before any concession is implemented.
“Government must explain what happens to members of staff under the concession arrangement, particularly their jobs, welfare and working conditions,” Ogunbanjo said.
He urged the government to convene a stakeholders’ summit involving parents, staff, old boys associations and relevant education authorities.
“The government should convene a stakeholders’ summit involving all unity schools and agree on a common direction before concessioning any individual school,” he said.
Ogunbanjo cautioned that allowing tensions surrounding King’s College to escalate could create unrest capable of spreading to other Federal Government Colleges.
“We cannot afford unrest at the secondary school level; government must handle King’s College carefully,” he said.
He commended the Federal Government for resolving outstanding issues with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), urging similar dialogue over King’s College.
“The government’s engagement with ASUU has helped sustain academic activities in universities, and we expect the same commitment within secondary schools nationwide,” he said.
Ogunbanjo called for a clear policy statement on the future of all unity schools, saying stakeholders deserved certainty rather than piecemeal decisions.
“Government should clearly announce its plans for all unity schools, rather than concessioning one institution at a time,” he said.
King’s College, Lagos, is among Nigeria’s oldest and most prominent Federal Government Colleges, with a long history of academic excellence and national significance.
The reported concession proposal involving KCOB has generated debate among stakeholders over ownership, affordability, staff welfare and continued public access.
The development has also renewed concerns about the future management of Nigeria’s unity schools and whether King’s College could become a model for other federal colleges. (NAN)
