National
NOWA School Abuja Defies Court Summon On Tuition Fees Increment
Parents and guardians of students of Navy Officers Wives Association (NOWA) Secondary School Abuja have bemoaned the school’s management refusal to revert back to the old school fees despite the Summon served on it by the PTA.
A visit by ROYAL NEWS reporter to the school on Sunday showed that the school looked scantily populated as several students who resumed school without paying the Increment by the school were turned back due to the increment which the parents described as sudden owing to how it was increased a day or two to second term of 2022/2023 academic resumption.
According to a parent who spoke on an anonymous ground, ” Tellers of #355,000 was originally given to my child as the school fees for second term. The increament came mid session, a day to second term resumption.This same school fees had been increased by #20,000 earlier on.
” After the payment was made, about two days to the resumption, the school’s management made an increment to the school fees to the tune of #50,000 and expects us to pay. Where is that done? she asked.
” I am yet to clear my child now because they are insisting that I pay #100,000, which according to them is the outstanding of second and third term school fees. The management has been summoned by a court and according to the summon, we are not suppose to pay any additional fee aside the original old school fee until the court decides so.
” Look at us now, our children are being turned back from school, while we the parents are being shut out of the gate,” the parent laments.
Another parent who equally sought anonymity explained that since the take over of the affairs of the school by he current president of NOWA, the school has not been the same. Adding that it is quite unfortunate that after 13 years of existence of the school, the current president want to destroy all that the school stood for over the years. ” We have called on top hierarchy of Navy to wade into the current injustice and lack of obedience to court orders by the NOWA President and her team by staying within the status quo on all fees increment until determined by the court.
A visit to the Vice Principal, Mr Peter Gbenga Omodara as a concerned parent whose child has not been cleared proved that parents are been compulsorily coerced into paying the increment under the guise of outstanding payment which would be paid at a later date.
Mr Omodara said, ” This is what the school issued. The only thing that is not here is 50,000, If the 50,000 is there it would have been 405. And we have been told that if you have paid less of 50,000 you should be cleared also.
On entering the Finance Officer, Lt Yusuf Hinni’s office along side the VP-Mr Omodara for further clarifications, the FO noted that the 50,000 increment has not been cancelled, they just said we should receive students, as it would be registered as outstanding, but approval has been given for those students who paid 50,000 less should be cleared.
Calling the the FO’s attention to the court summon, the FO said, ” That is just a summon, the school have taken reply, that was why they said we should stand out and clear.
” So they are not cancelling it. They just observed that some parents have paid while some have not paid.
Students who returned to school between 12 noon and 2:30 pm were lucky to be checked in irrespective of whether they paid the old school fees.
However, those who came in later did not enjoy such grace as they were denied entrance. A parent who spoke on condition of anonymity said the authorities had threatened to send those who were earlier cleared without the increment home by Tuesday 2 May 2023.
A parent who spoke to newsmen said the issue was not just the amount involved but the failure of the school authorities to dialogue with parents, adding that this is the second increment in a session which had led to the PTA seeking a restraining order.
The parents called on the school authorities to obey the court order and allow their children resume school pending when the matter is resolved in court or through dialogue.
All efforts to reach other management team proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
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