By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – AN Abuja based school, the Royal Family Academy, RFA, yesterday, debunked claims of using force against protesting parents over school fee hike upon resumption in September 2023.

This was contained in a statement with subject and signed by RFA Management, which it said publications made by some media organizations is really misleading and uncalled for.

The statement reads in part, “The decision for a 50% increase to the tuition and ancillary fees was immediately communicated to the PTPF since July at the end of the 2022/23 school session.

“Upon receipt of management decision on the increment and in their bid to impress on management to reconsider such decision, the PTPF in series of engagements, continued to attempt to prevail on the school to reconsider the said increment.

“However, every effort of the school at such reconsideration suggested will result in a major compromise on our standards as well as a further deficit in the financial standings of the school.

“Hence, the decision of the Management to go ahead with implementation of the said increase.

“Upon proceeding with the said increment, we received feelers from various internal quarters about a planned protest by some members of the PTPF which was scheduled to take place on the school premises on Monday the 18th day of September, 2023 while the school was in session.

“We are aware that a peaceful protest under such circumstances may be an option available to any aggrieved party and we were in tune to ensure that the said process was hitch-free.

“It was on the basis of the foregoing that the Police personnel attached to the school within our premises were placed on high alert to ensure that the said protest was conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner.

“Furthermore, the foregoing measures became extremely necessary as the school was in session on the day of the said protest and we had students and pupils on campus whose safety and security were a matter of extreme importance for us.

“The uncontrolled influx of protesters into the premises would have greatly impaired academic activities and the security of these students and pupils who were at this point under our care with great assurances to their parents of their safety.

“Please note that we have always had these Police personnel on our premises manning various beats within the premises on a daily basis. Also, it is customary for our school to, from time to time, engage the services of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) to assist in traffic control particularly on school resumption days and other major activity days where we envisage a large turnout of parents in attendance, in order to not disrupt the flow of traffic for other businesses and residents within the Wuye District Area where our school is situate.

“Contrary to the falsehood fed to unsuspecting members of the public, it is worthy of mention that on the day of resumption, every parent that showed up to school with a child/ward, regardless of whether or not they had paid the fees for that child was allowed into the premises.

“Only persons who did not show up with a child/children to drop off were prevented from entering the premises. Around a total of 10 parents were gathered at the school gate, having left their children back at home, insisting on coming into the premises to carry out their protest which would have escalated into a disruption of school activities and potentially putting our pupils and students in harm’s way.

“Contrary to reports that parents were forcibly removed from the premises, there was no police engagement with these 10 aggrieved persons.

“Therefore, to suggest that there was a confrontation between the alleged protesters and police personnel attached to the school premises such that parents were forced out of the school premises is completely false, and something that may have happened only in the imagination of these aggrieved parents.”

However, the statement reads further, “It would appear that the group of 10 parents that gathered outside the school premises and in front of the gate misconceived the presence of the said security personnel on that day as an attempt to prevent them from exercising their right to peaceful protest and accordingly retreated.

“Moreover, we are aware that no member of the leadership/Exco of the said PTPF was available on that particular day, to allay our fears as to the identity of the very few purported protesters who in their very minute number converged at the gate of our premises.

“Finally, we are not oblivious of the economic circumstances of our esteemed parents, same affects all and sundry, which is why ample notice of this increment was given to all involved to afford them enough time to adjust to paying the new fees or seek alternative and more affordable or pocket friendly school for their wards.

The school also assured, “Royal Family Academy remains dedicated to upholding its core values of excellence, hard work, integrity, innovation, and discipline. Our commitment to transparent communication with the PTPF and parents, as well as our responsibility for the safety of all individuals on our campus, remains unwavering.

“We urge the general public to disregard any publication suggesting anything contrary to what transpired as same is the handiwork of mischief makers seeking to smear the good reputation of our dear foremost institution of learning and excellence.”