The Federal Government has assured parents, students and other stakeholders that there will be no increase in school fees under the proposed management arrangement for King’s College, Lagos.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, gave the assurance on Wednesday at a news conference in Abuja while responding to concerns surrounding the arrangement between the government and the King’s College Old Boys’ Association.

Alausa explained that the agreement was designed to mobilise additional resources for the development of the school without transferring ownership from the Federal Government.

He said the arrangement would be governed by stringent key performance indicators to ensure that agreed standards were maintained.

According to the minister, the Ministry of Education had also established an implementation and monitoring team that would conduct unannounced inspections to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement.

“There is no fee increase in this arrangement. It is part of the MoU we signed,” the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said.

Alausa said the government remained committed to protecting the interests of learners while addressing the infrastructure challenges confronting Unity Colleges across the country.

He noted that decades of accumulated infrastructure decay could not be addressed immediately through government funding alone, making alternative funding and management arrangements necessary.

The minister urged journalists and other stakeholders to visit the affected schools and independently assess their condition before drawing conclusions about the controversy surrounding the proposed arrangement.

He added that the government remained open to dialogue with unions and would consider legitimate concerns that could improve the implementation of the agreement.

No teacher to lose job
Also speaking at the briefing, Ahmad assured that no teacher would lose their job as a result of the King’s College management arrangement.

She explained that affected teachers had been given the opportunity to indicate where they preferred to be redeployed, in accordance with the Public Service Rules.

Ahmad said the Federal Government was also implementing teacher capacity-building programmes as part of broader reforms aimed at improving learning outcomes in Unity Colleges and other government-owned schools.

She said the government was willing to engage further with unions over concerns raised about the arrangement, adding that legitimate issues could be considered for incorporation into the Memorandum of Understanding.

According to her, a committee had been established to review the agreement and address concerns raised by stakeholders.

She added that representatives of the unions would also be included in a committee responsible for monitoring the implementation of the arrangement.

Responding to the ongoing protest by education unions, Ahmad said the government could not engage effectively with workers while the ministry remained shut.

“With the workers’ protest, we cannot meet with them when they have shut the ministry.

“Normalcy must return to the ministry if the unions want us to listen to them,” she said.

FG seeks to restore Unity Colleges
Ahmad said the government’s primary objective was to restore the quality and excellence historically associated with Unity Colleges.

She acknowledged that the decline in standards had taken place over several decades and would require sustained investment in infrastructure, teacher development and other areas.

The minister said the government was exploring different public-private partnership models to rehabilitate Unity Colleges, noting that the model being used in Kano was among the options under consideration.

The government’s latest assurances come amid concerns from some stakeholders over the proposed management arrangement for King’s College and its potential implications for school fees, teachers and the continued ownership of the institution.

The Federal Government has maintained that the agreement does not amount to the transfer of ownership of King’s College and that the interests of students, teachers and the government would be protected throughout its implementation.

The Ekiti State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the quality of teaching and learning as public and private schools across the state prepare to resume for the first term of the 2026/2027 academic session.

Schools in the state are expected to reopen on Monday, September 14, 2026, with the government urging education stakeholders to ensure a smooth commencement of academic activities and strict adherence to the approved school calendar.

The Commissioner for Education, Dr Olabimpe Aderiye, gave the assurance in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti on Saturday, saying the state government would continue to implement policies and programmes aimed at strengthening the education sector.

According to her, the first term of the 2026/2027 academic session will run for 13 weeks, beginning on Monday, September 14, and ending on Friday, December 11, 2026.

Aderiye urged school administrators, teachers, parents and guardians to take note of the academic calendar and ensure full compliance to prevent disruptions to teaching and learning.

She said academic activities would commence immediately upon resumption to protect the integrity of the approved calendar.

“Academic activities will commence immediately to safeguard the integrity of the academic calendar. The state government is committed to quality service delivery in the education sector,” the commissioner said.

She added that the government would continue to support initiatives aimed at improving students’ academic performance in both local and national examinations.

Aderiye said the administration remained focused on creating an environment that would support effective teaching and learning while encouraging stakeholders in the sector to play their respective roles in achieving better educational outcomes.

The commissioner also called on parents and guardians to adequately prepare their children and wards for the new academic session, stressing the importance of punctuality and readiness for school activities from the first day of resumption.

She encouraged all stakeholders to work together with the government to ensure that students receive the necessary support to excel throughout the academic year.

The announcement comes as schools across Ekiti State make preparations for the commencement of the new session, with attention expected to focus on effective classroom teaching, students’ academic performance and compliance with the state’s education policies.

The state government said its continued interventions in the education sector were part of efforts to enhance learning outcomes and ensure that students are better prepared for examinations and future educational opportunities.

With schools scheduled to resume on September 14, parents, teachers and school administrators are expected to make the necessary arrangements ahead of the new term.

Members of the University of Benin chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities have resolved to continue their indefinite strike over what they described as the incomplete payment of their August 2026 salaries.

The decision was reached on Friday during an ASUU congress held after the university management failed to provide the union with details of the amount already paid, the outstanding balance and when the remaining salaries would be settled.

The lecturers had commenced the strike on Wednesday following allegations that they received only half of their August salaries.

The congress resolution was contained in a communique signed by the branch Chairman and Secretary, Enaruna Edosa and Lucky Aimiyekagbon, respectively.

According to the communique, the branch chairman briefed members on the latest development concerning the alleged underpayment, noting that the university administration had made a part payment.

However, the union said it was unable to establish the exact amount paid or outstanding because the requested details were not provided by the university’s Bursar.

The communique stated that the chairman informed the congress that he had requested the information but had yet to receive the necessary details from the university administration.

After deliberations, the congress resolved that the withdrawal of services would continue until all outstanding salaries were fully paid.

“Consequent upon the fact that salaries up to August 2026 have not been fully paid, and information on the specific details as regards what was paid, what was outstanding, and when it would be paid were not readily available, there was no need in the first instance to have called Congress for a meeting.

“As a result, the withdrawal of service continues until the outstanding salaries are fully paid,” the union said.

The motion for adjournment was moved by Comrade Praise Adeosun and seconded by Comrade J. Otakefe.

The development means academic activities at the University of Benin may remain disrupted as the lecturers maintain their position pending the full resolution of the salary issue.

UNIBEN Management Denies Half-Salary Payment

However, the university management has rejected the allegation that academic staff were paid half salaries for August 2026.

The institution’s Public Relations Officer, Benedicta Ehannire, described the claim as untrue in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Ehannire said the Federal Government had paid the salaries of all categories of staff at the university up to August 2026.

“It is not true that academic staff of the institution were paid half salary in August, 2026,” the management stated, adding that salaries for all categories of staff had been paid up to the month under review.

The conflicting positions between the university management and the lecturers have left the salary dispute unresolved, with ASUU insisting that its members’ outstanding payments must be fully settled before they return to work.