SCHOOL PROPRIETORS LAMENT INDISCRIMINATE TRANSFER OF STUDENTS
A TACTIC TO AVOID SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT BY PARENTS/GUARDIANS
DENEN DANIEL
Proprietors of secondary schools in Ikpayongo area of Gwer East local, Benue State lament the tactics adopted by parents and guardians towards ensuring their children and wards acquire education. The proprietor of Terna International School, Ikpayongo, Emmanuel Fele, condemned this new tactics. He said “for the proprietors and particularly me, what has come to be the mode of acquiring knowledge by parents and guardians for their children and wards is really disturbing on many facets. The target of every business owner is to make profit.
Parents and guardians have resorted to transferring their children and wards from one school to the other after failing to pay necessary tuition. This is forcing some schools to close down as many can hardly meet up with financial tasks.
Fele further said that this policy stands in the way of qualitative service delivery by schools. “Whatever the benefit parents and guardians seemed to be deriving from this rather short sight process, the end result is negative; students lack consistency in the learning process. This is the repercussion of among other vices, poorly trained graduates who cannot stand up to the society both in character and in learning.
Dr. Ransom Goma, the Proprietor of Kings International School, Ikpayongo, decried the falling standard of education necessitated by negligence to rules meant to drive the process. He said “what has become of secondary education especially in our locality is no thanks to negligence and the abuse of due process. Entrance Examination exist though, it is mostly taken by pupils in cities and by parents and guardians who still value it. Here in our locality, parents and guardians wave the idea as a means of extorting money. Also, due to overemphasis on money, private schools, especially those around here no longer demand for evidence of good character from a student before admission. Evidence such as “Transfer Letter” used to help schools know the character and previous performance but the tradition have changed so the parents and guardians now find it convenient to move their wards from one school to another at will.”
A student of St. Patrick Secondary School, Ikpayongo, Akundushima lamented on this trend as she called for improved unity among school proprietors as this has continued to negatively affect the teaching/learning situations. She said “I want to use this medium and draw the attention of school proprietors to shun differences and embrace common tenets to help promote quality of learning. I’m a victim of this trend; I really was having good time learning in my previous school until one day my parents made known to me that a decision has been reached to move me to where I am today. In as much as I have tried to adapt to my new school, it becomes harder everyday; not because my new school is in any sense substandard. Perhaps it is psychological.”
Labe, Terlumum, Chairman of Parents, Teachers Association (PTA), of Terna International School, Ikpayongo, chronicled the history of private schools in Ikpayongo as he lamented the inability of almost all to remain in the business for long. He cited cases of Catholic schools and other such schools in the state that have remained steady for many years in the business of teaching and learning, thereby establishing known traditions. He further asserted that “before the emergence of private schools in Ikpayongo, we used to have two schools: Government Secondary School, and Yonov Community College. When private schools started options were provided for parents; sooner parents and guardians saw an advantage.
This set of parents started a new trend which has overtime imprint a bad impression on schools in Ikpayongo that as soon a new school comes up, parents take their children there and transfer them unconditionally to avoid meeting with financial obligations.
Because government at all levels has failed in providing standard education to the populace, individuals and organizations have continued to provide education for the children and employment opportunity for the workers. It should be noted that a unified blueprint can help regulate education and check the indiscriminate transfer of students. This will call for consistency and improve the standard of education. A standard education at all levels will discourage education tourism and help boost the economy of Nigerians.
