Royal Family Academy Increased School Fees By 50%, Then Sent Police, FRSC After Protesting Parents

Royal Family Academy

When parents with children sought to protest on the school grounds on Monday, the administration of the Royal Family Academy in Abuja allegedly ignored their concerns and used threats against them.

Some of the parents informed FIJ that despite their earlier protests, the school administration unilaterally increased tuition costs by 50%, necessitating the protest.

FIJ discovered that the school's grounds were closely secured by uniformed individuals on the day of the planned protest, including officers from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the police, with the intention of stopping the protest from happening.

A conxerned parent who requests anonymity, expressed surprise at the school's choice to use armed security forces in the situation rather than holding a polite conversation with the parents, who are involved in the school.

He claimed that the school served parents with a letter at the conclusion of the previous term, which concluded in July, informing them of their intention to raise the school price by 50%, to which parents vehemently objected.

"The Parents Teachers Progressive Forum (PTPF) executives had embarked upon a negotiation between the school and parents. The executives were negotiating an increase of 25 percent. That was the agreement, yet the school went ahead and increased the fees by 50 percent," he said.

"They increased certain other additions, for instance, like the development levy, which used to be N100,000 to N300,000 for new entrants.

"They increased certain other additions, for instance, like the development levy, which used to be N100,000 to N300,000 for new entrants.

"They also added sports levy and health insurance, which we were not paying before, and an ICT certification fee they have been collecting for over three years, for which my kids have never received any ICT training except for playing games in the lab. Parents know this but have been silent. It is the increment that has now spurred parents into talking."

"Another parent said "She believed that the protest was necessary because her child's fees had been increased from N288,000 to N577,000."

FIJ