The National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) has backed the Federal Government’s decision to shut down schools charging tuition fees in foreign currencies.
The association described the practice as exploitative, abnormal, and unpatriotic, insisting that it must not be tolerated under any circumstance.
Chairman of NAPTAN’s Board of Trustees, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, told reporters on Saturday that such demands are unacceptable in any Nigerian institution.
He said no school should request fees in dollars or other foreign denominations, nor should any parent accept such exploitative terms.
According to him, the practice undermines Nigeria’s economy and contradicts the patriotic values that education should promote.
“Education should teach patriotism, not drain our foreign reserves,” Ogunbanjo said.
He questioned the rationale behind schools insisting on foreign currency payments, noting that no other country permits such a system for foreign residents.
“Ghana is very close to us but will not operate like that. Can a Nigerian pay school fees in naira in the UK or the United States?” he asked.
Ogunbanjo urged the government to sanction schools engaging in the practice to deter others and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s education sector.
“Any school or university doing that is unpatriotic and should be shut down until the policy is reversed,” he stated.
He reaffirmed NAPTAN’s full support for the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, who first announced the move, saying that demanding fees in foreign currencies hurts the economy and widens inequality.
Alake had, during the Nigeria Gold Day Celebration held alongside the 10th edition of Nigeria’s Mining Week in Abuja on Wednesday, declared the government’s intention to close schools charging tuition fees in foreign currencies.
He described the practice as one of the major financial leakages weakening Nigeria’s economy and called for decisive action to end it.
“If you look at the foreign currency that goes into some of these schools, it is humongous,” Alake said, adding that he would propose to the Federal Executive Council that such schools be shut down to stop further economic drain.
He maintained that the practice remains one of the major loopholes undermining national growth and economic stability.
