Parents of students in public school boarding houses in Lagos State are up in arms against school authorities over the sudden hike in boarding fees from ₦35,000 to ₦100,000 per term, coupled with a sharp decline in the quality and quantity of food served to their children. The dispute, which has been simmering for weeks, has now escalated, with parents planning a mass protest against what they describe as an “oppressive and corrupt” policy.

Dapo Dawodu, the State Chairman of the Parents Forum for Lagos Model Colleges, has been at the forefront of the opposition. In a statement, Dawodu condemned the actions of school principals who, despite a directive from the Lagos State House of Assembly, have insisted on implementing the fee hike. “Events of the past week have shown that there are no lengths to which our principals and their cohorts cannot sink in their inordinate enterprise of imposing this unjust ₦100,000 boarding fee on us,” Dawodu said.

In response to parents’ protests, the Lagos State House of Assembly had summoned representatives of the Parents Forum and the Ministry of Education to mediate the conflict. Following the meeting on September 16, 2024, the Assembly ruled that the existing boarding fee of ₦35,000 should remain in place for the first term of the 2024/2025 school session. Additionally, the Assembly mandated the formation of Parent Forums in all schools and tasked parents with overseeing school kitchens, dining rooms, and hostels.

However, according to Dawodu, these directives were blatantly ignored. Within days, school principals reintroduced the ₦100,000 fee and, in some cases, sent students home whose parents refused to comply with the increase. “It is disheartening that those responsible for educating our children are themselves disobedient to authority,” Dawodu lamented.

Parents are also outraged by reports of food rationing in boarding houses. Dawodu detailed how some students were segregated in the dining hall, receiving inadequate portions, while others who agreed to the increased fees were given preferential treatment. Additionally, in a move that further aggravated the situation, principals reportedly expelled food vendors from school premises, preventing students from supplementing their meager meals.

Parents argue that there is no justification for the fee hike, given that federal Unity Schools charge just ₦30,000 per term while offering better conditions. Dawodu revealed that the Parents Forum had conducted a detailed analysis of the cost of feeding students, which showed that the ₦35,000 fee was adequate to cover their needs, even accounting for inflation. “This fee hike is a blatant attempt by some principals to extort parents under the guise of managing ‘subsidy removal inflation,’” he said.

Dawodu further accused school administrators of leveraging the boarding fee fund for personal gain, with many teachers reportedly vying for principal positions in Model Colleges due to the lucrative opportunities created by the fund. “With inflation now eating into their corrupt profits, these principals are waging war on already oppressed parents in the current economic climate,” he added.

As tensions continue to rise, the Parents Forum has announced plans for a major protest at the Lagos State House of Assembly. “We shall once again move to the House of Assembly this week in the mother of all parents’ protests,” Dawodu declared, urging parents to remain steadfast in their opposition to the fee hike.

The Forum is calling on the Lagos State government to intervene urgently, warning that the welfare of thousands of students is at stake. “Our children are being starved and psychologically tortured by those who claim to have their best interests at heart,” Dawodu said, vowing that parents will not relent until justice is served.