King’s College: Alausa Rules Out Sale, Fee Hike, Job Losses

The Federal Government has ruled out the sale or concession of any Federal Unity College, saying the proposed management arrangement for King’s College, Lagos, will not lead to an increase in school fees or the loss of teachers’ jobs.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, gave the assurance on Wednesday in Abuja while addressing journalists on the controversy surrounding the proposed management arrangement involving the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).

Alausa said the arrangement was limited to King’s College and would not be extended to other Federal Unity Colleges.

“No. We’re not extending it. Government still has its responsibility,” he said.

The minister was also categorical that the Federal Government had no plan to sell any of the 115 Unity Colleges under its management.

“Let me be unequivocal, Federal Government is not selling any Unity College.

“Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, does not have the intention to sell any Unity College, and we will not sell any Unity College.

“That is the government position, and go and write it down and hold on to that, we are not selling the government institutions,” he said.

Alausa explained that the proposed arrangement with KCOBA was designed to mobilise additional resources for the rehabilitation and modernisation of King’s College while retaining government ownership.

He said the decision followed concerns over the deteriorating state of infrastructure at the school, which he observed during an unannounced visit.

According to him, some hostels, bathrooms, classrooms, laboratories and other facilities were in poor condition.

He also disclosed that the school had experienced a prolonged electricity outage during his visit, prompting him to contact the relevant electricity distribution company, after which power was restored to the Senior Secondary School section.

The minister further raised security concerns over the use of part of the school premises as a paid car park, saying unrestricted access by members of the public posed risks to students. He said he subsequently directed that the arrangement be cancelled.

Alausa said KCOBA had expressed willingness to invest substantially in King’s College through a non-profit foundation. He said the association had also indicated that it would preserve merit based admission and ensure that students from across the country continued to have access to the institution.

The minister added that KCOBA had claimed to have invested more than N2 billion in infrastructure and other support for the college over the years.

He said the Federal Government faced a major funding gap in rehabilitating the 115 Unity Colleges, noting that decades of accumulated infrastructure deficits could not be addressed immediately through government funding alone.

“President Bola Tinubu is investing in infrastructure, including the sub sector, but there’s so much, significant infrastructure gap that has happened for 40 years and we don’t have the funds,” he said.

Alausa estimated that even N2 trillion would not be sufficient to address the infrastructure needs of all the Unity Colleges.

He said the government had therefore secured approval to repurpose about $20 million from a World Bank supported programme for the comprehensive rehabilitation of selected Unity Colleges.

About 20 schools, he said, had been selected for the intervention, although the funding would cover schools across the country.

The minister said the estimated cost of rehabilitating Unity Colleges in the South-West alone was nearly N100 billion, making it necessary for the government to explore additional funding sources without relinquishing ownership of the institutions.

On concerns that the King’s College arrangement could lead to higher fees, Alausa said there would be no increase in school fees.

He said the agreement contained stringent key performance indicators designed to protect the interests of the government and students.

The ministry, he added, had established an implementation and monitoring team that would conduct unannounced inspections to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement.

Alausa said the government remained open to dialogue with unions and would consider legitimate concerns that could improve the arrangement.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, also assured that no teacher would lose his or her job as a result of the King’s College arrangement.

Ahmad said affected teachers had been given the opportunity to indicate where they wished to be redeployed in line with the Public Service Rules.

“There is no fee increase in this arrangement. It is part of the MoU we signed,” she said.

She added that the government was implementing teacher capacity-building programmes as part of efforts to improve the quality of education in Unity Colleges and other schools.

According to her, a committee had been established to review the Memorandum of Understanding and address concerns raised by stakeholders, while union representatives would also be included in another committee to monitor its implementation.

Ahmad said the government’s objective was to restore the quality and excellence historically associated with the Unity Colleges, noting that the decline in standards had occurred over several decades and would require sustained investment in infrastructure and teacher development.

She added that the government was exploring various public-private partnership models for rehabilitating Unity Colleges, citing the Kano model as one option under consideration.

On the ongoing labour dispute, Alausa said the government had engaged the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other unions over concerns surrounding the schools.

He said the government reached a six-point agreement with the TUC leadership, following which a communiqué was issued calling on workers to return to work.

He, however, said another faction of the unions had continued its protest despite the engagement with the TUC.

Alausa said the government had invited the faction for further discussions, provided ministry workers returned to their offices and the ministry gates were not blocked.

He said the conditions were necessary to ensure the safety of officials and maintain law and order, while condemning alleged harassment of staff, destruction of property and obstruction of the ministry’s gates.

“We will not tolerate that as a government. We’ve given them all the room and scope to do their protest within the ambit of the law,” he said.

The minister said the Federal Government would continue to engage the unions while pursuing measures to address the infrastructure and management challenges confronting the Unity Colleges.

He reiterated that the administration remained committed to improving the quality and reputation of the institutions while retaining government ownership.