Protest over concession of King’s College stalls resumption of unity colleges

by · The Eagle Online

The 155 unity colleges run by the Federal Government across the country did not resume for academic activities on Monday as parents and guardians refused to let their children and wards go back after the long holiday.

The development is a fallout of the concession of King’s College, Lagos to the Old Boys Association, which parents and others are opposed to.

Checks by Vanguard across the country showed that the colleges were desolate of students on Monday.

Speaking with Vanguard correspondent, the Chairman of the Parent Teacher Association of Unity Colleges in the South-West,  Ayopo Somefun, said the schools would remain shut until the FG rescinds the decision to concession King’s College.

According to him, if the concession of King’s College stands, the exercise would be extended to the other unity colleges and that would negate the reasons for setting up the schools.

“Unity colleges were set up for some purposes and handing them over to some people to manage will surely negate the purposes. There is no way the concession won’t lead to commercialising education in those colleges.

It will leave the children of the masses out in the dark. Unity Colleges are levelers, places where children of the masses and the mighty meet and forge relationships. They are not meant to be elitist schools.

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“If they get away with the concession of King’s College, they will surely extend the exercise to other colleges and that is not the reason for setting up the colleges. Parents are unanimous that we won’t go back on our demand that they should let the colleges be as they have been for decades,” Ayopo said.

Apart from protest by parents, the leadership of the Association of Senior Civil Servants, ASCSN, also directed workers in Federal Unity Colleges, FUCs, nationwide to suspend resumption of students indefinitely.

In a directive issued by the South-West Zonal Coordinator of ASCSN, Comrade Yusuf S.A., the union said all Federal Unity Colleges, including those in the South-West, should remain shut until further notice.

Yusuf directed unit chairmen to ensure that the gates of their respective colleges remained locked, describing the action as solidarity with their colleagues at King’s College over what the union termed a “defective and unjust concession” of the school to KCOBA.

“This is a collective struggle, and its success depends on the unwavering commitment and compliance of every unit. Remember: An injury to one is an injury to all,” he said.
The union also directed its officials to communicate the decision to Parent-Teacher Association chairmen and principals of the affected schools.

However, parents across the affected unity schools have remained calm, saying they support the decision of the unions to suspend resumption pending the resolution of the King’s College concession controversy.

Rather than mounting pressure for immediate reopening, parents said they were prepared to await further directives from the relevant authorities, stressing that the welfare and future of their children remained their priority.

At Federal Government Girls’ College, Sagamu, the PTA advised parents to remain calm and avoid unnecessary trips to the school pending further clarification on the resumption status.

Similarly, parents of students of Queen’s College were informed that all school activities had been suspended indefinitely following developments arising from the concession of King’s College.

The PTA urged parents to await official communication before making arrangements to take their wards back to school.

At King’s College, the PTA Chairman,  Peter Oluwaleye, said the college would remain shut until further notice.

He appealed to parents to explain the situation to their children, saying the action was being taken in their interest.

“We want to make sure we bequeath them what they will be proud of. With them behind us, we are sure of victory,” he said.

The latest development followed an emergency stakeholder meeting convened after the Federal Ministry of Education communicated its decision to the school.
According to Oluwaleye, the ministry directed that the handover of King’s College to KCOBA should commence immediately, with a transition committee expected to complete the process within six months.

He said the ministry also directed that upon completion of the handover, the Federal Government would cease funding activities of the college.

The Principal of King’s College was further asked to provide the transition committee with a list of staff willing to remain in the employment of the Federal Civil Service Commission.

The PTA chairman said parents were concerned that they had not been adequately informed or consulted before the concession decision was communicated.

He said parents were particularly worried that their children were admitted into King’s College as a Federal Unity School and should be allowed to complete their education under the same terms.

Oluwaleye also questioned the six-month transition period and called for greater transparency on the terms and conditions of the concession.

Following the stakeholders’ meeting, he said, staff at King’s College activated their response mechanism, resulting in the immediate shutdown of the college and restriction of entry and exit.

He added that staff unions across the country were notified, while neighbouring schools began showing solidarity.

The nationwide action has since widened, with ASCSN leadership engaging the Federal Government over the dispute.

In a situation report issued to members, the South-West coordinator said the ASCSN President and the Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had met with the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) as part of efforts to resolve the impasse.

According to him, the DSS Director-General subsequently mediated between the union and the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, leading to an agreement for a meeting between both parties.

He said the strike would continue pending the outcome of the meeting.

The development has raised concerns among parents of students in Federal Unity Colleges nationwide, as the schools were expected to resume for the new academic term.

Despite the disruption, parents said they remained calm and resolute in their support for the unions, expressing the hope that the engagement between the Federal Government and stakeholders would produce a solution that protects the interests of students and preserves the integrity of the unity school system.

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