An education administrator, Dr Emesto Austen, has described the planned concession of King’s College, Lagos, as a move that confirms the Federal Government’s failure to effectively manage public education, while supporting the involvement of the school’s Old Boys Association in revitalising the 117-year-old institution.
The development followed a directive by the Federal Ministry of Education for King’s College, Lagos, to be concessioned to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA), with the handover process to commence immediately. The directive, contained in an official letter received by the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), also ordered the immediate constitution of a transition committee to oversee the process and ensure its completion within six months, according to the PTA Chairman, Engr. Peter Oluwaleye.
Speaking with ARISE NEWS, Austen said the concession should be seen as an opportunity to address the longstanding challenges facing public schools, arguing that government has failed to provide the level of funding and effective management required to sustain institutions such as King’s College.
“It is actually a confirmation of the fact that government has failed in its responsibility in managing the public education sector in Nigeria
“If you go to most of our secondary schools in Nigeria owned by state governments or federal government, you will understand the reason why the minister wants to concession King’s College, Lagos, to the Old Boys Association. Most of the things he listed that the Old Boys Association will be intervening in are actually the fundamental responsibilities of the government, but they have failed in those responsibilities.”
He further said the government should give the King’s College Old Boys Association an opportunity to contribute its resources and expertise towards revitalising the institution, particularly as the association has the capacity to support improvements that government has been unable to provide.
“King’s College is a premier secondary institution and also a national monument, so to say. So, if you have old boys who have the capacity and resources coming together to say, “Give us a chance to see what we can make out of our alma mater,” I think they should be given that opportunity.”
Austen explained that the concession would allow the Old Boys Association to have greater control over how funds are spent, ensure accountability in the management of resources, oversee recruitment, establish standard operating procedures and introduce internal performance targets for teachers and other staff.
“Giving the old boys the opportunity to come in and take over running it—making sure that whatever dime spent in the school is accounted for, taking charge of the recruitment process, developing standard operating procedures for everybody working in that school, and having KPIs at the end of the day apart from the general KPIs the Federal Ministry of Education has for every school—having internal KPIs for every teacher working in that institution.”
Austen also warned that the government must protect access and equity by ensuring transparent student recruitment and preventing fees from becoming prohibitive for the average Nigerian family.
“The government must make it very certain on paper that going forward, the recruitment process for students will have to be very transparent and fair, and that the fees will not go above what is expected within the ministry or become prohibitive for the average Nigerian.”
Acknowledging the concerns raised by teachers and unions over privatisation, job security, government funding and possible increases in school fees, Austen said their agitation was valid, stressing that improved quality must not come at the expense of access and equity.
“I do not want to dismiss the position of the teachers. Their agitations are very valid. Education is not cheap, but the problem is that immediately you provide quality, you shrink access and equity. That is also one aspect that the federal government has to listen to.
“If you look at our educational planning in Nigeria, we are still planning based on a social demand approach, which emphasizes that you have to give access and equity to the Nigerian child. We are yet to get to the level of manpower planning and all that.
“The government must make sure—the minister, through the statement put out there, has tried to allay the fears of Nigerians and teachers that students will still get to gain admission through the National Common Entrance. But they also said that they cannot put a permanent freeze on their fees.
“What it means is that the King’s College Old Boys Association has the legitimacy to review fees. Immediately the fees go up, you are automatically closing up access.”
Responding to the question whether the unity schools had achieved their objective, Austen said they had fulfilled their fundamental purpose of promoting national integration but had fallen short in delivering quality education due to inadequate basic amenities and poor infrastructure.
“If you look at the fundamental objective, which is national integration, they have done that. But I cannot say that for quality. If you go to some of the Federal Unity Colleges, you discover that basic amenities—which is the reason why the minister is embarking on this concessioning in the first place—are not present. The hostels are not well taken care of, and beds and mattresses are not provided. In some of these schools, even the ones in FCT, students still sit on the floor.
“The PTA sometimes has to intervene in providing some of these amenities in those schools.”
On the proposed duration of the concession, Austen opposed the 35-year arrangement, arguing that six years would be sufficient to assess its effectiveness before deciding whether to extend it or adopt the model in other schools.
“Having the old boys take up the management is good, but I do not subscribe to 35 years. 35 years is too long a time. Why not do six years? Six years is enough to analyze and measure the concessioning and see how well it has worked. Then you can think of extending it or even using it as a model for other schools.
“The truth is, federal and state governments have not done so well when it comes to providing education. Anything that can be done to improve the quality of education we give to our children in Nigeria should be supported.”
The Federal Government, however, clarified that the concession does not amount to the sale or privatisation of King’s College, Lagos, stressing that the institution remains publicly owned, with legal title retained by the government.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made this known in a statement issued on Friday by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo.
Favour Odima
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