Date: 2016-12-15

The high fee regime in private primary and secondary schools in Kwara State, may have started taking its toll on such schools as parents are withdrawing their wards to public schools in droves.

Accordingly, the state government says it has improved facilities in schools across the state to take care of the recession- induced surge.

Some private schools in the state mandate Senior Secondary School Three (SSS3) students to pay as much as N180, 000 at once as they prepare for the forthcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

This amount, which applies to day students, is inclusive of second and third term fees. For the boarding students, the fee is high as N450, 000.

Confirming the exodus, Yeketi said from available statistics before us, there is a serious turn up by students in public schools in Kwara State now," adding that the, "increase is due to the economic recession that has made many parents to withdraw their pupils and wards from private schools. We have increased our facilities at the public schools in readiness for them.

"We have succeeded in putting many teachers on their toes. The public is already having confidence in the public school system. Already, the state government has ordered that all schools (both private and public) should have common resumption and vacation dates. This is so because they have the same curriculum," he said.