An investigation into alleged collections in public schools across Osun State has raised questions about the implementation of the government’s approved education levy, with parents and guardians alleging that some school authorities demand between ₦12,000 and ₦24,000 per student each term despite the officially stated ₦500 Education Trust Levy (ETL).
The allegations, which involve several public secondary schools in Osogbo and Modakeke, include claims of compulsory payments, demands for household and cleaning materials, and the sale of textbooks within school premises. If substantiated, the practices could place additional financial pressure on families who enrol their children in government-owned schools partly because of their comparatively affordable cost.
Findings published by Osun Defender indicate that the amounts allegedly demanded vary from school to school, raising questions about how the collections are determined, who authorises them and whether parents receive adequate explanations and receipts for payments.
At Osogbo Grammar School, popularly known as Osogram, school authorities were alleged to be collecting ₦24,000 per student without issuing receipts. At Saint Francis Grammar School in Modakeke, Junior Secondary School One students were reportedly asked to pay ₦22,000, in addition to ₦500 for report sheets.
Fakunle Unity Grammar School in the Stadium Area of Osogbo was also alleged to be charging ₦16,000 per term, while Surajudeen Primary School was reported to be collecting ₦13,000 per pupil as school fees.
The report further alleged that parents were being asked to provide items such as laundry baskets, dustpans, brooms, markers, canes, disinfectants and tissue paper. The nature of the demands has prompted concerns about whether these items are voluntary contributions, formally approved school requirements or compulsory conditions imposed on students.
One guardian with six children attending Saint Francis Grammar School, Modakeke, said he paid ₦132,000 during the previous term, excluding the cost of books.
“They collected ₦22,000 per child, that is ₦132,000 for six children, excluding books. Where do they expect poor parents to get such money in a government school?” the guardian, who requested anonymity, lamented.
The account illustrates the cumulative financial implications of the alleged charges for households with several children in public schools. At the reported rate of ₦22,000 per child, a guardian supporting six students would pay ₦132,000 for one term before accounting for textbooks, uniforms, transportation and other educational expenses.
At Laro Grammar School, Oke-Fia, Osogbo, parents were allegedly given a list of 18 items they were required to provide. The report also alleged that textbooks were sold within the school at prices ranging from ₦4,800 to ₦5,800 per copy.
However, the available accounts do not establish whether all the reported collections were imposed directly by school principals, approved by parent-teacher associations (PTAs), or introduced through other school-level arrangements. That distinction is important because the different forms of payments may have different approval processes and accountability requirements.
The State Chairman of the Parent Teachers Association in Osun State, Comrade Fadare Moshood, said the state PTA leadership was not aware of the alleged developments.
Moshood, however, suggested that the collections might have arisen from arrangements among public secondary school principals operating under the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS).
His response raises a question about the extent to which parents’ representatives are consulted before school-level financial demands are introduced, particularly where the amounts involved are substantial for families with multiple children.
When contacted for clarification, the President of ANCOPSS in Osun State, Comrade Muyiwa Oladipo, declined to comment on the allegations and directed enquiries to the Ministry of Education.
“I’m not in the position to respond to your questions; you rather contact Ministry of Education for any response on the issues mentioned in your questions,” Oladipo said.
The Commissioner for Education, Hon. Dipo Eluwole, said the state government had approved an Education Trust Levy of ₦500 per term. He added that students attending mega schools pay an additional ₦2,000 for school maintenance.
According to Eluwole, the ₦500 levy is returned to schools as a running grant to support maintenance, while other collections are determined by PTAs.
He argued that the needs of individual schools differ and that the financial contributions required from parents may consequently vary.
“It is very difficult for the government to regularise it, because the needs of different schools differ from each other. PTA of Fakunle may decided to buy new school bus for the benefit of their children while Osogram may decide to repair their old school bus because of the cost of the new one. With the above, the two schools will not charge the same amount,” the commissioner said.
The commissioner’s explanation suggests that some payments beyond the approved levy may be connected to PTA-funded projects and maintenance requirements rather than a uniform school fee imposed by the state government.
However, his position differs from that of the state PTA chairman, who said the association’s leadership was unaware of the alleged collections. The difference in the two accounts leaves unresolved questions about who initiated the reported demands, whether parents were consulted and whether the payments were approved through recognised PTA processes.
The commissioner also did not, in the response provided, identify any specific authorisation for the amounts allegedly collected at Osogbo Grammar School, Saint Francis Grammar School, Fakunle Unity Grammar School, Laro Grammar School or Surajudeen Primary School.
Nor did his response establish whether the schools had been investigated or whether any principal had been issued a query over the allegations.
A follow-up enquiry was reportedly sent to the commissioner seeking clarification on whether the leadership of Osogbo Grammar School, Laro Grammar School and Fakunle Unity Grammar School had been queried. No response had been received as of the time of publication of the original report.
The absence of a clear explanation for the specific amounts allegedly demanded makes it difficult to determine whether the payments represent approved PTA contributions, unauthorised collections or a combination of different charges.
The issue has also prompted calls for intervention by Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke. Parents, guardians and other stakeholders appealed to the governor to investigate the allegations and sanction school heads found culpable of imposing unauthorised charges or compelling students to purchase instructional materials.
A civil society stakeholder, Citizen Lola Wey, said the reported practices contravened Section 13 of the Osun State Child Rights Law 2013, which she cited as guaranteeing free and compulsory basic education.
Wey called for a ban on unauthorised demands for materials from students and urged the governor to reissue the government’s circular on free education in public schools.
She said she had taken up the matter in her capacity as a Child Rights Ambassador and pledged to continue efforts to address the issue through advocacy and public enlightenment programmes across the state.
The legal and policy questions raised by the allegations go beyond the amount charged as an education levy. They also concern the distinction between government-approved fees, PTA contributions and compulsory demands made by individual schools.
Where PTAs seek financial contributions for school buses, repairs or other projects, parents need to know who approved the contributions, what the money will fund, whether the amounts are compulsory and how the funds will be accounted for. School authorities also need to explain whether any payment is a condition for attending classes, receiving school services or obtaining academic records.
The alleged failure to issue receipts at Osogbo Grammar School, if confirmed, would raise additional questions about financial transparency and the ability of parents to document payments made on behalf of their children.
Likewise, the reported demands for cleaning materials and other items require clarification on whether they are voluntary donations, collective contributions agreed upon by parents or compulsory requirements imposed on students.
For families supporting several children, even relatively small additional charges can accumulate into substantial termly expenses. The guardian who reported paying ₦132,000 for six children at Saint Francis Grammar School said the amount excluded books, illustrating the financial pressure that multiple school-related demands can create.
The allegations have not, on the information provided, been independently established against each named school or principal. The schools’ individual explanations, records of collections, PTA decisions and relevant government directives would be necessary to determine the circumstances surrounding the reported payments.
Nevertheless, the conflicting accounts from the education commissioner and the state PTA chairman underscore the need for a transparent investigation into the origin, approval and use of the alleged levies.
The central question for the Osun State Government is whether the approved ₦500 Education Trust Levy is being implemented as intended and, where additional payments are collected, whether they are properly authorised, transparently communicated to parents and supported by verifiable records.
A clear public statement identifying permitted charges, explaining the rules governing PTA contributions and outlining a process for parents to report suspected unauthorised collections would help reduce confusion and establish accountability across public schools.
For parents who choose government schools because they expect education to remain affordable, resolving the allegations is essential to understanding what they are required to pay, what they may decline to pay and which authority is responsible for ensuring that school-level financial demands comply with state policy and applicable law.
