Protesters Storm Lagos School, Demand Halt To Takeover By Old Students

Parents, teachers, and other stakeholders on Friday staged a protest against the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the school’s old students’ association. The protesters gathered in front of the school on Lagos Island, displaying placards and calling on the Federal Government to halt the concession arrangement. Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: “Let the poor go to school,” “Education is our right,” “Stop the sale of public schools,” “Stop attacking and harassing teachers and parents,” “King’s College is not for sale,” and “Concession simply means selling off. We say no.” The protest came two days after workers of the Federal Ministry of Education staged demonstrations in Lagos and Abuja over the proposed concession. It was reported that the workers’ protests led to a five-point agreement between the Federal Government and labour unions in the ministry, including a two-week suspension of the implementation of the King’s College concession. Under the agreement reached on Wednesday, workers also suspended their industrial action and were assured that no staff member would be victimised for participating in the protests. The parties further agreed to redeploy policemen currently stationed within the King’s College premises and establish a seven-member committee to examine and negotiate the agreement between the Federal Government and the old students’ association. The latest protest, however, indicates that opposition to the concession extends beyond the protesting workers to parents and other members of the school community. The unions have argued that King’s College is a national educational asset that should remain under public management, warning that its concession could open the door to similar arrangements involving other federal unity schools. On Wednesday, workers protesting the proposed concession gathered outside the Lagos school for several hours, chanting “Alausa must go” and demanding the removal of the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa. The protest in Lagos coincided with an industrial action at the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja, where workers blocked the entrance and prevented Alausa and the Acting Permanent Secretary, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, from accessing their offices. The workers had also raised concerns over staff welfare, delayed promotions and the stagnation of Education Officers, alongside the proposed concession. Chairman of the Joint Council representing four major staff unions, Comrade Onukhe Abraham, had questioned the rationale for concessioning King’s College while the Federal Government had approved the employment of more than 3,000 Parent-Teacher Association staff to address manpower shortages in federal unity schools. “If Mr President has approved the employment of over 3,000 PTA staff, where will these new workers work if existing teachers are being displaced from King’s College?” he asked. The unions were also angered by a circular reportedly signed by the Acting Permanent Secretary directing teachers who could not remain at King’s College under the concession arrangement to seek postings to other schools in Lagos State. They warned that the arrangement could affect access to quality public education for children from poor and working-class families. “Once King’s College goes, others will follow. The children of the poor must be able to attend King’s College. It is one of the assets Nigeria has, and it must not go that way,” Abraham said. The unions had threatened to extend their industrial action to federal unity schools nationwide if the concession was not reversed. The dispute had also been accompanied by disagreements over negotiations between the ministry and the unions, with workers rejecting a meeting between Alausa and some TUC leaders because the recognised leadership of the Joint Workers Committee was not represented. The workers also raised concerns over alleged land-swap plans involving Federal Government College, Kano, and the Suleja Academy School for the Gifted in Niger State. Following Wednesday night’s meeting, however, the government and unions agreed to pause implementation of the King’s College arrangement for two weeks while the seven-member committee reviews the agreement with the old students’ association.