Aregbesola has secretly introduced school fees,PDP Alleges

 

Osun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola of secretly introducing payment of fees in public primary and secondary schools in the state.

 

The party, in a statement issued in Osogbo yesterday through its spokesperson, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said principals and headteachers of public schools across the state have been ordered to receive officials of Parents /Teachers Association, PTA, who will be visiting them any moment from next week to discuss more on the matter.

 

The PDP claimed that contrary to assuring parents, while campaigning never to charge fees in public schools, Ogbeni Aregbesola has changed his mind to start collecting fee.

 

“We have said it severally before now that the government  was surviving on debts, that Aregbesola is secretly introducing payment of fees and various taxes is a confirmation of many missteps and manipulative tendencies being experienced in the state”

 

The opposition party said under the new fee paying regime in Osun public schools: “All pupils in public schools in Osun state will pay N1,500 each as school fees with the arrears of 3 years, payment of PTA fees for public schools students is now compulsory for the renovation of schools building and the payment of PTA Teachers.

 

“Also, the state government would not provide free textbooks for public schools pupils again.The price for the school uniform is N1,500 for elementary, N1,700 for middle and N1,950 for high schools. It should also be on record that in the last 2 years, there were no permanent register in schools in the state.

 

“We also have it on good authority that Osun Internal Revenue Service, OIRS, has commenced setting up offices in schools all in a desperate bid to milk dry already badly sapped Osun people through multiple taxations.

 

“We believe people do not deserve heavy tax burden at the moment, when the quagmire the state find itself is not their creation.

 

“We insist that Ogbeni Aregbesola has failed the electorates as he has not kept to the electoral promises he made to during his campaign”