Benue Govt warns private schools against outrageous fees, unauthorised levies
The Benue State Government has warned private school owners against imposing what it described as outrageous fees and unauthorised levies on parents, saying such practices will no longer be tolerated.
The warning was issued by the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board (BEQAEB), Dr Terna Francis, following criticisms by the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) over what it called excessive regulation.
Dr Francis said fee regulation was part of the approval process for establishing schools and not an arbitrary decision by the board. According to him, schools are required to seek approval before reviewing any fees, stressing that government oversight was aimed at ensuring fairness and protecting parents.
He raised concerns over disparities between school fees and teachers’ welfare, noting that some parents are charged as much as N300,000 per term while teachers earn about N30,000 monthly. He said such practices were unjust and contradicted Governor Hyacinth Alia’s directive to reduce the financial burden of education on parents.
Dr Francis explained that BEQAEB’s actions were backed by law, with the board empowered to monitor, regulate, accredit and sanction schools across the state. He added that resistance from proprietors was expected whenever standards were enforced, noting that the governor strengthened the quality assurance framework to improve oversight.
He also highlighted increased government investment in education, revealing that budgetary allocation to the sector rose from over 15 per cent in 2025 to 25.29 per cent in 2026, alongside the construction and renovation of schools and the recruitment of over 9,000 teachers.
On illegal charges, Dr Francis cited cases where schools charged far above approved rates for examinations, including N35,000 for the Basic Education Certificate Examination instead of N10,250, and up to N100,000 for WAEC rather than the approved N27,500. He said such practices would be stopped.
To address examination malpractice and delays, he said BEQAEB introduced an e-Dossier system to track continuous assessment and exam scores in real time, eliminating so-called “miracle centres.”
Dr Francis assured parents and educators that the board would continue enforcing approved fees, cap handling charges at N5,000, and ensure timely release of results, adding that the reforms were aimed at restoring discipline, credibility and standards in Benue State’s education system.
