National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has expressed worry over the rising population of out-of-school children, which it puts at 10.2 million in the country.
The group therefore, has called on the federal and state governments to put structures in place to tackle the menace.
NAPPS, which made this call on the occasion of Monday Children’s Day, said the government must make grants-in-aid available to private school owners to enable them to work towards reducing the number of out-of-school children in the country.
NAPPS chairperson, Mrs Lilian Ogujiofor, stated this at a cultural carnival at the National Stadium, Abuja, where over 3,000 pupils marched to commemorate the Children’s Day celebration.
The children were drawn from schools in the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
Ogujiofor said, “As loyal citizens and core stakeholders in the country’s education sector, we share the government’s concern for the rising population of out-of-school children in the country and in the FCT in particular.
“The government should understand that the body of private school educators is very crucial to the advancement of education in Nigeria and these schools should not be treated by the government as mere profit-making establishments. The schools should not be taxed and levied like other commercial ventures.
“This problem has made private schools exorbitant and inaccessible to majority of children of school age whose parents are underprivileged.
“We therefore call on the FCT administration to make grants-in-aid available to the private schools on the basis of enrolment figure, as obtained in the First Republic before the take over of schools in all states in 1970.”
