By Ugochukwu Alaribe
Natives of the Ihie Ndume community in Umuahia East state constituency have stormed the Abia State House of Assembly Umuahia, demanding a slash in what they described as outrageous school fees at Government College, Umuahia, GCU.
The protesters who arrived at the Assembly complex before the plenary session stated that they could not afford the outrageous school fees charged by the management team of GCU.
The protesters, led by the President of the Abia State chapter of Common Man Assembly, Nathaniel Nwoko, alleged that the present administrators of the school had converted the public school to a private institution and denied intelligent children from poor homes the opportunity to access quality education.
They said, “We demand that the school fees be slashed to enable the children of the poor to enrol into the school. We are also begging Governor Alex Otti to ensure that the Abia State government becomes part of the management team. We say no to the outrageous school at Government College, Umuahia. N1 million is too outrageous. The school fees should be made affordable to all students, irrespective of their parents’ social status.
“Government College Umuahia is a public school and should remain a public school where intelligent children can attend, irrespective of their parent’s social status.”
Addressing the protesters, Okoro Uchenna Kalu, Chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Education, said the matter is receiving attention at his table.
He also disclosed that Governor Alex Otti is interested in the matter and pledged that the House will be diligent on the matter.
On his part, Deputy Speaker Austin Meregini, who represents the Umuahia East state constituency where the protesters came from, urged his constituents to return peacefully to their homes as the House would ensure that the right thing was done.
Vanguard gathered that an indigene of Emede Ibeku, Umuahia, Mr Chukwudi Onwudinanti, had also petitioned the State House of Assembly alleging that Fisher Education Development Trust, FEDT, who manages GCU, had increased the school fees to over N1 million Naira annually and converted the school to a private institution.
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