Protesting Model College parents lock down Lagos Secretariat over boarding fee surge
Model College parents protesting at the Government Secretariat, Alausa
Published By: Kazeem Ugbodaga
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Parents of students in Lagos State Model Colleges staged a massive protest on Thursday at the Lagos State Government Secretariat, Alausa, to oppose the recent hike in boarding fees from N35,000 to N100,000.
Arriving at the secretariat around 1:00 p.m., scores of parents blocked the main entrance and exit, preventing vehicles from entering or leaving the premises until closing time.
Chanting anti-government slogans, the parents displayed placards with messages such as “No reversal, no resumption” and “On N35,000 we stand.”
They expressed frustration at the sudden increase in fees and vowed not to pay the new amount.
The protest created significant traffic congestion along Obafemi Awolowo Way as vehicles were barred from accessing the secretariat.
Lagos State Commissioner for Basic Education, Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, responded to the situation, stated that the government had consulted with parents on the need for the increase.
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He argued that the previous fee of N35,000 was inadequate to cover boarding costs for three months and cited cases of malnutrition, including ulcers, among students due to inadequate feeding.
Alli-Balogun noted that the government proposed an option to pay the new boarding fee in three instalments to ease the burden, yet many parents still opposed the change.
He compared the fees in Lagos with those of neighbouring states, such as Ogun (N150,000), Ekiti (N100,000), and Ondo (N110,000), despite lower living standards in those regions.
Highlighting that Lagos has 32 Model Colleges with a total of 11,925 students—representing just 1.2% of the state’s student population—Alli-Balogun added that attending these colleges is optional, and parents who prefer a more affordable option could enroll their children in other public schools that do not charge boarding fees.
