ABEOKUTA– Parents of Private Schools Students today protested alleged government’s decision to charge the sum of N25,000 for covid-19 testing on each exiting students ahead of their resumption Tuesday August the 4th.
The protestors also queried why the state government would impose any levy on students of private schools while their counterparts in public schools were tested free.
The Vice Chairman, Parent Teachers Association (PTA), Taidob College, Dr. Kehinde Sanwo while feilding questions from newsmen queried why government would discriminate between students in public and private schools, stressing that, they are all children of the state that should be treated equally.
“The parents here are good citizens of Ogun state which we are tax payers. And it is so disheartening that we are here at the MTR hospital the venue for covid-19 test.
“When we arrived we are told pay N25,000. Whereas, some people who arrived earlier paid nothing. So, we don’t know where the decision came from. Some of us have more than two children. Why this segregation?”, she said
The Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Dr. Olukayode Soyinka while responding to the alleged levy, said he was not aware of the N25,000 covid-19 test Levy on private schools students.
“We were not aware and when I asked who send out the information, they said Ministry of Education, however we came here to ensure that parents were not going to be stranded on the instructions of the Commissioner for Health”
“I personally was not aware until yesterday night. I came here to met the people on ground” Soyinka said
He however disclosed that, the test was organized by the state government in conjunction with a private laboratory company, 54gene under the Public Private Partnership arrangement.
One of the officials of 54gene declined comments on the ground that he lacked power to speak to the media.
He however explained that, his company’s activities at the testing ground had the approval of the state government.
Mainwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Kunle Somorin while responding to call put across to him said there was a mix up in the information the parents got, adding that all the state government is interested in is to have a safe resumption for the students.
“The covid-19 test at the MTR hospital, Oke Mosan is done by a private company and as such it attracts a fee. However, the government decided to subsidized the fee for the public school students”
“The parents can do the test anywhere, even at LUTH, or any recognized government hospital in Nigeria. All the government want is that all returning students are Negative to covid-19” he clarifies
