Date Published: 10/07/09
The Executive Governor of Abia State
Your Excellency,
Abia parents to pay three years tax before registration of children in schools
We write to bring before His Excellency the unfavourable effect of tying parents’ ability to tax to their children’s enrolment in schools. This policy will without doubt violate the right of the Abia child to basic education, which will invariably affect the empowerment of the present and coming generations of Abia State . As many Abia children will not have the opportunity of attending school.
This policy actually denies the Abia child his right as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Chapter 2, section, paragraphs 1 and 3a, b, c, d). Not only does this policy negate the Nigerian constitutional rights of children, it also negates the Christian teaching that the sin of a father should not be visited upon his children as stated in Ezekiel 18:20 – “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (KJV). And we know that His Excellency is a member of the noble Christian fold.
We appreciate His Excellency’s drive for tax, but we do plead that you consider the right of the children in Abia State and not tie to their parents’ payment of tax. We also wish to recall His Excellency’s promise of free education to the children of Abia State up to secondary school which was part of His Excellency’s swearing-in speech as the Governor elect of Abia State .
But to the utmost surprise of Abians, the Abia State Commissioner for information, culture and tourism, Mazi John Nkwokocha, told pressmen recently, of the decision to introduce development fee in schools, after a State’s Executive Council meeting; adding that the development fee is to improve the internal revenue of the state. The Commissioner further explained that the government had discovered that many heads of schools ask pupils to pay all forms of fees ranging from PTA, examination, toilet to soap fees; declaring that the current measure is to stop such acts.
This official introduction of development fee, Your Excellency, contradicts the promise of free education to the people. What it means is that there has never been free education in the state because heads of schools have been charging fees unofficially to enable run the schools. Now the government has made the unofficial fees official, demonstrating its lack of transparency on the issue of education.
It will also be of need to bring to the notice of His Excellency, that the stoppage of Okada business in the state (which was the source of livelihood of many) has brought about so much hardship to the people and with no job creation in the state; how does the Governor expect the people to pay tax and levies before their children can go to school.
Your Excellency sir, please be reminded that even our colonial master, Britain , never tied the issue of tax payment to children’s education. If they had done that, we would not know if His Excellency would have had the chance of going to school.
We therefore plead with His Excellency to review this policy of payment of three years tax by parents before their children can be registered in schools, so that it does not become a hindrance for Abia children to getting education.
Thanking you, His Excellency, for anticipated review of this policy.
Yours sincerely,
David Kalu
Chairman
Campaign for Democracy (CD)
Abia State |
