Parents in all the Unity Schools in Akwa Ibom State have kicked against an additional N288m increment of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) levy by the Federal Ministry of Education.

In a circular dated 18th March 2025, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, and made available to our correspondent in Uyo, the federal government has increased the PTA levy to N12,000, amounting to N96m per term and N288m per session, with a student population of 8,000 as obtained in some Unity Schools, respectively.

The circular reads In part: ?Following the receipt of multiple requests from various PTAs to enable them to fulfil their obligations within the Colleges, the Ministry has approved a revised PTA levy.

?This new levy will take effect from the third term of the 2024/2025 academic session.

?The approved maximum PTA levy is twelve thousand (N12,000) per term.?

One of the parents, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, explained that the PTA Executive at Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, attempted to increase the levy last term, but parents resisted and threatened to petition the Federal Ministry of Education before the Executive rescinded such decisions.

He said Unity Schools In Ukana Offot, Uyo, and Ikot Obio Itong had already announced the increment before some concerned parents threatened to draw the attention of the federal government to the increment, as it was affecting them in the present hardship.

He said the Ministry quickly stopped the levy and wondered why the same Ministry, which had stopped the arbitrary increment, now issued a circular for parents to pay from next term.

He recalled that the controversy caused the PTA Executive to shut the parents? WhatsApp platform for many months, only for them to reopen it a few days ago and announce the increment.

Another parent from Unity School in Ikot Obio Itong, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, who pleaded anonymity, appealed to the federal government to investigate how the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education approved the request for an increment of the PTA levy immediately when there were other requests before the Minister of Education.

He listed other requests to include the employment of teachers across all Unity Schools, improvement in the feeding of students in the hostels, moves to eradicate bullying, extortion of parents during school reopening, and fraud by PTA executives.

?In Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, parents were surprised when the PTA said they used N700,000 to buy pure water for parents during PTA meeting.

?The Permanent Secretary is supposed to address some burning issues in Unity Schools rather than approving an increment of levy for parents.

?No teachers in Unity Schools; PTA employ teachers and pay them while the federal government is watching how the schools decay.?

He observed that if the Permanent Secretary had used the energy and immediate alacrity in increasing the PTA levy to address problems confronting Unity Schools, federal government colleges would have experienced a turnaround in both personnel and infrastructure.

?It is unfortunate that the coalition of PTA Executives in all federal government colleges nationwide conspired to mount pressure on the Federal Ministry of Education to increase the PTA levy when they failed to achieve it in their plot to swindle parents.

?If they had used such pressure to prevail on the federal government to employ more teachers, address the problem of bullying, extortion by non-academic staff, poor feeding of our children, and illegal activities on resumption days, it would have benefitted both the parents, students, and Nigeria.? (Daily Sun)