Femi Falana, SAN, a prominent human rights lawyer, has denounced the recent hike in school fees by the federal and Lagos state governments, labeling it illegal and in violation of the Child’s Rights Act and Lagos State Child’s Rights Law.
The federal government had in July 2023 raised the fees for Unity Schools from N45,000 to N100,000 per term, marking a significant increase of over 120%.
Advertorial
Similarly, the Lagos State government announced a new fee structure for state-owned boarding schools, increasing fees from N35,000 to N100,000 per term.
Falana, in a statement over the weekend, expressed concern that the increase far exceeds the minimum wage of N70,000, making it impossible for a worker to afford the education of even one child in Unity Schools or Lagos secondary schools.
He pledged to take legal action to challenge these fee increments.
Advertorial
“The federal government has raised the fees for Unity Schools from N45,000 to N100,000 per term, amounting to N300,000 annually per student,” Falana stated.
“Similarly, Lagos State has set fees for secondary schools at N100,000 per term, or N300,000 annually. With a minimum wage of N70,000, a worker’s salary for four months totals N280,000, which means they can no longer afford to sponsor even one child in these schools.”
Advertorial
Falana emphasized that the Child’s Rights Act guarantees every child free and compulsory education from primary to junior secondary school.
Therefore, he argues that the imposition of N100,000 fees on junior secondary school students in Unity Schools and Lagos State is illegal.
Falana also cited the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Executive Secretary, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, who revealed that over N45.7 billion in matching grants for Universal Basic Education between 2020 and 2023 remains unaccessed by state governments.
Advertorial
Falana vowed to challenge the fee increases in court, asserting that the government’s actions violate the rights of children to accessible education.
