They have not only turned the Parents-Teachers
Associations (PTAs) of their schools to illegal parastatals through which they heartlessly extort money from financially weary parents. The rot dogging Federal Government Colleges (FGCs), some say nationwide, is fast spreading to include reckless management of the schools; as well as bare-faced immoral relationships between students and very senior teachers. One of such liaison, reports say, has resulted in the impregnation of a girl
that just finished Senior Secondary School (SSS) III. Reports had earlier identified PTAs among the most corrupt of the lucrative industries thriving in FGCs. From the N500 or a little more charged per term a couple of years ago, the least PTA bill these days is between N10,000 and N25,000 per term of less than three months. In the Lagos area, for example, Kings College charges N17,500 per day student per term; and N21,500 for boarders, broken down as building levy, PTA dues, barbing levy and laundry levies. But parents are compelled to buy toiletries, including laundering soaps,
for their wards; and the students return home with rough and bushy hair during each vacation.

It is worse in Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba, where parents are forced to cough up N15,000 per term as PTA. It is worse because FSTC’s leadership placed the compulsory collection of the PTA bill above the academic pursuit of students. Early into the present term, for instance, the school’s authority
allegedly sent text messages to all members of its PTA executive to ensure that no student with incomplete PTA bill was checked in; even if affected parents managed to pay the tuition and other bills. It is also one school where parents were, in the past, forced to buy a specified number of bags of cement before their wards could be
checked into the boarding house. The spurious excuse most of them give for the heartless extortion is that the PTA agreed on the bills at its meetings, whereas the entire members of executive of PTAs are either drawn from the schools or cronies of their leadership; with the school heads as clearing houses and Enforcers-in-Chief of the arbitrary bills.

They also claim that because of shortfalls in fund allocation from the FG, they use PTA funds to build classroom blocks and hostels, as well as hire additional teachers to beef up staff strength. Of what assistance, then, is the FG to parents if it cannot sustain FGCs?
Worse still, why has the government shut its eyes to the criminal exploitation of parents by the school heads purportedly to plug infrastructure deficits? Indeed, some angry parents that protested the decrepit state of infrastructure in Kings College lately said the school’s PTA was not discharging its duties; and no PTA meeting had
been convened this session, even when the third term is almost over. Students at the annex and main complex of the school do not have water to drink even at their dining halls. But the school management which produces KC sachet and bottled water commercialized the products; and exploit the students to buy instead of providing free water for them. What a nation and its
depraved educational system! But the virtual robbery has persisted ostensibly because of the complicity and ineptitude of the Federal Ministry of Education and its officials, who have chosen to bury their heads in the sand like an ostrich, while the sordid happenings fester.

About the middle of last month, an online medium, ‘New Mail’ reported how the management of FSTC Yaba ordered all final year students writing their NECO examinations at the time to leave the school hostel allegedly over the unruly behaviour of some of them. It never occurred to the school’s authorities that a lot of the students reside in states other than Lagos; and that they would be stranded. Countless bills paid for keeping the students in school, including accommodation and feeding charges, were discountenanced, without any hint on how the school intended to effect refunds. What an abrasive, high-handed and incompetent approach to minor crisis management, when all that was required under the circumstance was to isolate the deviants from the crowd for requisite censure or punishment; and communicating same to their parents? And if, like the Principal, Chris Ugorji, claimed, the students did whatever they liked; didn’t read anymore; or boasted that they were no more FSTC Yaba students but NECO candidates,
who are to blame for such level of indiscipline? Parents alone; or the innocent students sent away from hostel?

As you are reading this, another report says the Principal of FGC, Jos, allegedly impregnated a 17-year-old SSS 3 girl he had been dating when she was 15 years of age. In obvious desperation to cover the shame, he was said to have indicated interest in marrying the girl. How else can it be proven that many of those to whom Nigerians entrusted the upright nurturing of their children have themselves lost their bearings and are, indeed, harbingers of moral decay, graft and anarchy?


www.nationalmirroronline.net/new/federal-government-colleges-of-extortion-impunity/

This thing too long na....but hope I made FTC sha

Op, wetin yu dey talk sef bcoz i no understand anytin here. Dont make me feel like i dont knw how to read.

FG please save my Alma mata. (PRO UNI TATE)

The thing is not funny again.

When did all these start? It wasnt like this when i was in Federal College...

Its basically the same rot in every sector. Nobody investigates, nobody prosecutes.

This corrupt practice of PTA is widespread in Nigeria. The Principal of FGC Jos should be investigated by ICPC and the supervisory ministry of education.

Federal Government Colleges were the best pre-2007 era

dicefrost:
Its basically the same rot in every sector. Nobody investigates, nobody prosecutes.

so bad.