Enugu Govt asked private schools to pay N300,000 tax not N5m, says Commissioner

The Enugu State Government asked private schools to pay between N100,000 and N300,000 as education tax, not N5 million.

The State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze, made the clarification in a statement in Enugu.

“New and existing private schools in the state are required to either register for provisional approval or have their licences renewed.

“This is between ₦100,000 and ₦300,000, depending on the category the schools falls in. The approved schedule of fees was released to the public earlier in June,” he said.

He urged the public to disregard the publication that the Gov. Peter Mbah-led administration has imposed N1 million to N5 million in mandatory payments on private schools in the state as educational taxes.

“Extant laws empower the ministry of education to maintain minimum standards of education for both public and private schools.

“The ministry is also empowered to streamline and enhance the effective administration, monitoring, and supervision of private schools,” the commissioner said.

The commissioner noted that fearing the consequences of the illegal operation of unlicensed private schools, which attract imprisonment of up to 10 years and possible closure of the schools, the defaulters resorted to smear campaigns against the government.

“The government is undeterred, as the Gov. Mbah will not fold his arms and watch the future of Enugu children destroyed by illegal and unscrupulous schools and proprietors.”.

He added that the ministry held repeated engagements with stakeholders in the education space across the state during the revision of the 2024 Enugu State Schools Licencing Fees Regulation, vowing not to back down on the reforms.