By Ezra Ukanwa, Abuja

The recently sworn-in president of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Mrs Samira Jibril, has decried the multiple taxes being imposed on private schools by the Federal Government, stating that it is hindering the performance of these institutions.

This was as she said private schools are being taxed at different levels, leading to a significant financial strain on these establishments.

Jibril said this at the association’s national election where she emerged as the 2024 president of the association, on Thursday in Abuja.

She emphasized that private schools play a crucial role in complementing the efforts of the government in providing education to Nigerian children and that the imposition of excessive taxes is jeopardizing their ability to fulfill this role effectively.

The NAPPS president called on the government to review its tax policies with regard to private schools and provide relief measures to alleviate the financial burden on these institutions.

She said: “Multiple taxation is part of the reason affecting private schools. In actual sense, it is part of it that we say we need to come to the drawing board with agencies, the government agencies, you will need to partner with them, you know, when all these things are happening, their different perspectives are not shown.

“So, but when we come to the drawing team, we share perspectives and come to an understanding that this is what you should be. The government should know that we are bridging the gap in the educational landscape, we are ensuring that what is to be given to the Nigerian child. Our most particular interest here is the Nigerian child.

“But, the government and populace look at us as if we are Shiloh. When we collect school fees, they multiply with the number of schools that we have, however, they forget to know that we are employers of labor, we pay remuneration, we pay expenses, we pay everything we buy resources, and ensure that the services that those parents paid for are met. So, we must continue to dialogue and collaborate for them to know.”

On her agenda to drive development in the association, she said: “My agenda for this association is to revamp, restructure, reinvigorate, relaunch, and reposition NAAPs to a better place.

“We are going to make sure members are put together by putting us on the pedestal, working with educational landscapes and agencies that are necessary, ensuring that we have the necessary structures, processes put in place, working together using all the platforms that we do so that we can sustain, ensuring we have national coordination and international appearance. We must be visible. We must talk, we must be shown. We must show our presence and that is the agenda.”

Also, the Chairman, Board of Trustees, BOT, NAPPS, Dr. Mijinyawan Said, expressed hope that the current leadership would drive the association to greater heights and ensure that quality education is seen in private schools.

“We all need to work together, both the policymakers in our educational system, both those that are meant to implement which we are a part of, and the parents all hands must be on deck in order for us to ensure that what the policy says is what we are doing, instead of doing less than what the policy say. We should endeavor to ensure that we go beyond what the policy says in the best interest of Nigeria”, he said.