The Chairman, Oyo State Private Secondary School Owners, Mrs. Modupe Adeleke, has called on state governments to review the multiple taxes imposed on private schools. Such taxes, she said, was contributing to slowing the progress of education in the country.
She spoke at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of Nickdel Schools in Ibadan. Adeleke, who also owns the Nickdel College in the Oyo State capital, said private school owners were already doing a lot in the country’s education development and so deserved commendation instead of the burden of taxes they shoulder.
She said, “Private school’s owners need government support because they establish schools in order to help the development of education in Nigeria. Unfortunately, they get nothing from the government.
They are heavily taxed, which is not helpful in any way. It is not an easy task to establish a school because it is not like any other business. It is capital, intensive and it does not bring immediate return. In Oyo State, we have appealed to the government to review the multiple taxations of the schools so that they can survive.”
She also appealed to the Federal Government to include private school owners and other education experts in the drafting of curricula for schools. According to her, the excellence recorded by private schools in the country was enough for the government to establish a relationship with their owners, with the view to tapping from their knowledge, organisational strategy, academic method and teaching skills.
She said, “We have to let the government know that we are available to contribute to the development of education in the country. There are various committees responsible for the drafting of the curricula and their work will be made a lot easier if private school owners and other education experts are involved.”
