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Tag: NAPPS

  • NAPPS urge school owners to review employment conditions

    NAPPS urge school owners to review employment conditions

    The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has urged private school owners and investors to make necessary reviews of their employment terms and conditions.
    The National President of NAPPS, Mr Yomi Otubela, said this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos to celebrate the International Workers’ Day.
    Otubela said that reviewing of employment terms would give room for proper motivation of workers in the private education sub-sector.
    “It is only a motivated workforce that can add values that will enhance proper teaching and learning to take place in our schools.
    “The same goes for workers in the public education sub-sector.
    “This year’s Workers’ Day is being celebrated amid rising costs of living occasioned by high inflation rates with a negative impact on the real incomes of workers in Nigeria and other countries of the world.
    “More worrisome is the issue of unabating insecurity that has given rise to cases of kidnapping, banditry and act of terrorism in the country,” he said.
    Otubela said that in some cases, schools had also been targeted by the insurgents while students, teaching and non-teaching staff had either been kidnapped or even lost their lives.
    “We pray that the souls of students, workers and others who have lost their lives in the course of the pursuit of their daily living continue to rest in perfect peace.
    “The importance of workers in nation-building cannot be overemphasised and for those in the education sector, in particular, your passion to continue to mould the lives of these young ones for the better is well appreciated.
    “We use this opportunity to urge the Federal Government of Nigeria to fulfil all promises made in the signed agreement and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU),” he said.
    He added that the role of private schools in complementing and closing the education gap for both the states and federal could not be overemphasised.
    “Governments should see private school owners as partners in the collaborative efforts to ensure governments fulfil the provisions in section.
    “We direct the attention of the states and federal government to the plight of private schools in the country amid rising costs of running private schools such as multiple taxations, increased levies and high interests on loans.
    “Concessions can be considered for the owners of private schools to carry out their educational services with ease for the benefit of the Nigerian children.
    “Government at all levels and employers of labour in the private sector must find a way of ensuring uninterrupted labour services in the country,” Otubela said.
  • Immoral Act: NAPPS faults Lagos state for closure of Chrisland schools

    Immoral Act: NAPPS faults Lagos state for closure of Chrisland schools

    The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has questioned the shutdown of all Chrisland Schools in Lagos state over the sex video by some of the students of the college.

    The management of Chrisland schools already sanctioned five of its students over the act.

    Recall that the students engaged in the immoral act during a trip to Dubai in March 2022, when they went to partake in the World School Games.

    Following the controversies that surrounded the incident, the Lagos State Government ordered an indefinite shutdown of all branches of Chrisland Schools in the state.

    The government also warned against sharing of a sex tape involving minors, saying whoever shares such a video risks 15-year jail term.

    The national President, Chief Yomi Otubela through a statement released on Thursday, question the government’s shutdown of all Chrisland schools.

    The statement reads “While we are in support of the swift move by the Lagos state government to investigate the issue, we view with concern the recent announcement of the state government to shut down all branches of Chrisland Schools in the state over the said sex video.

    “We feel shutting down all the branches of the school might deny other children their rights to learn more and for those in the terminal classes the right to continue thier preparation for their final examinations.

    “Equally of concern is the fact that the parents , as observed above , are not always available for the upkeep of this children. So we are disturbed about what become of this children for the period of the closure .

    “However, we support that Lagos State Monitoring and Supervisory committee be introduced among Chrisland Schools Management team pending the conclusion of the investigation.

    “We await the outcome of the government investigation on the alleged gross negligence on the part of Chrisland Schools to allow students of such age bracket sleep alone without the presence of a teacher of same sex, as well as the allegations of the school poor communication, the delayed for over a month after the incident before calling the attention of the minor’s parents to the exact issue. This will help us take informed decisions.

    “We recommend that the children involved should be taken to experts in mental health for adequate intervention and rehabilitation,” the statement read in part.

    NAPPS posited that the parents should take the larger portion of blame for children’s immoral act.

     

  • Speak out against bullies – NAPPS to students

    Speak out against bullies – NAPPS to students

    The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has advised students to be courageous and speak out against bullies for a healthy conducive learning environment.

    Chairman of NAPPS, Amuwo Odofin Chapter, Mrs Ajoke Adeyemi gave the advice in an interview with the Newsmen, on Wednesday in Lagos.

    According to her, bullying can come in different forms, including; hitting or shouting at classmates or intentionally extending one leg to cause another person to fall.

    Adeyemi, who is also the Proprietress of Foresight Schools, Festac Town, however, said bullying either by staff or fellow students were very rare in private day and boarding schools.

    According to her, most private schools do not tolerate the phenomenon saying “most NAPPS schools occupy students in classes and during break time.

    “There are always teachers or support staff all around the school, even in toilets, staircases and other places.

    “Most of our schools have hidden CCTV cameras on the corridors and playgrounds, which makes it very difficult for any bully to operate,” she said.

    Adeyemi added that seminars were organised for the proprietors, to reinforce zero tolerance for bullying and also caution the schools on dangers of allowing controlling parents have their way.

    She noted that the Ministry for Education also had rules and regulations all schools were expected to abide by or be ready to face the music.

    She further noted that prefects’ role in reinforcing discipline was not to punish or flog but to report erring students to the school’s disciplinary committee for action.

    The chairman said from experience, most cases of bullying began from homes, as such children were not adequately supervised on the kinds of friends they kept or movies they watched.

    “Some even shout at their younger ones and talk back at their parents,” she said.

    She, however, said that when cases of bullying arose in schools, the guidance counsellor talked with the students, and thereafter, invite the parents for a chat.

    “The option of either expulsion or suspension is applied when such erring child refuses to mend his or her ways.

    Adeyemi cautioned parents to play their roles in correcting their children whenever they erred and nurtured them in the fear of the Lord.

    She urged students not to be afraid to report any act of bullying, saying “keeping silent will only worsen the abuse suffered.”

  • Schools reopening: Private schools move to cover grounds lost to COVID-19

    Schools reopening: Private schools move to cover grounds lost to COVID-19

    The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Lagos Chapter, has assured that it would bridge the academic gap created by COVID-19 pandemic during the year.

    Dr Tolu Sodimu, the Auditor-General of the Association, gave the assurance in an interview at a workshop organised for the school proprietors on Thursday in Lagos.

    The training tagged, ‘School Reopening Training for School Proprietors’ was organised to sensitise school owners on safety measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

    Sodimu, also the Proprietress of Hope Springs International School, Lagos, assured that the pupils would take their promotion examinations to adequately assess their level of preparedness to proceed to the next grades.

    “Not all students were able to join the online classes during the lockdown.

    “So when we resume, the first four weeks will be used to complete the third term scheme of work that we lost due to the COVID-19.

    “After that, we will have exams before we go into the new session,” Sodimu told NAN.

    Also, Mrs Ajoke Adeyemi, Chairman of NAPPS, Amuwo Odofin Chapter, said failure to teach students the third term scheme of the last academic year will create “a missing link”.

    Adeyemi, also Proprietress of Foresight Schools, added that examinations would be administered to assess the pupils after covering topics from third term in the first four weeks.

    Adeyemi said: “We cannot just promote children without assessing them.

    “The issue with scheme of work is that it’s like a foundation that you’re building. Once you miss one of the layers, then the whole thing will crash.

    “Assuming you’ve taught a child ‘Tens and Units’ in second term, in third term you’re supposed to teach ‘Hundred, Tens and Units.’

    “If you leave it and go to ‘Thousands, Hundreds, Tens and Unit,’ there’s already a gap. That ‘Hundreds, Tens and Unit’ missed will still cause trouble for that child.”

    Adeyemi appealed to parents and guardians to cooperate with school authorities by ensuring that their wards comply with guidelines against the spread of COVID-19.

  • WASSCE: Private schools proprietors speak on suspended exam

    WASSCE: Private schools proprietors speak on suspended exam

    The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), has appealed to the Federal Government to reconsider its stand on the suspension of 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSSCE).

    The National President of the association, Mr Yomi Otubela, made the plea at a virtual news conference on Monday in Lagos.

    Otubela said that reconsideration of the WAEC organised WASSCE and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) by the National Examination Council (NECO), was to ensure emotional wellbeing of the already traumatised students.

    He said that private schools under NAPPS were ready to resume with strict adherence to the safety protocols as rolled out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

    “To avoid emotional trauma, the SS3 students will be subjected to as a result of the cancellation of the WASSCE, we advise government to deploy the services of clinical psychologists.

    “This is to evaluate the state of minds of these students, whenever they are ready to sit for these examinations, due to mental trauma that will arise as a result of the suspension.

    “We are talking about the rigorous preparations put in by the students and knowing full well, that their counterparts in other countries will write the ex examinations,” he said.

    According to him, there is need to avoid a situation where Nigerian students would be forced to seek an alternative way of writing these examinations, by approaching neighbouring countries such as Ghana.

    “It will not be good for the image of the country.

    “As a result of a prolonged closure, majority of students may likely lose interest in education and embrace social vices inimical to their wellbeing and public safety as well,” he said.

    Otubela said that, after announcement of the suspension of the examinations, parents of students in private schools had started approaching management of schools to demand for refund of the fees paid for their children’s WASSCE.

    “Private schools had already remitted money to the examination bodies.

    “Their reasons are premised on the decision to utilise the refunds to approach other neighbouring countries, so that their children can sit for 2020 WASSCE outside the country,” the president said.

    He added that they were willing to have a meeting with the Minister of Education and other stakeholders, to assure them of the safety protocols that had been put in place in private schools, to ensure safety of students nationwide.

    “Our call today is meant for all the transitional students, both in the private and public schools, to resume early enough, for revision before the examination dates.

    “A task force can be instituted by both the Federal and State Governments to monitor and ensure strict compliance, during the conduct of the examinations.

    “This is considering the level of success achieved so far with the reopening of the airports for domestic flights, through strict adherence to safety protocols for passengers.

    “We are sure that the same level of success will be recorded, when schools are reopened,” Otubela said

    He added that the NAPPS had engaged the Federal Government, through the Economic Sustainability Committee, on the need to support private schools to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the sub-sector.

    “Our justification for requesting palliatives from the Federal Government was borne out of the fact of the abrupt closure of schools by the government to protect students in the country from the outbreak of the disease.

    “For this reason, the recent announcement of the approval of N2.3 trillion stimulus package to support businesses by the Federal Government, with the inclusion of private schools, is a welcome development.

    “NAPPS, therefore, appreciates the Federal Government for the swift response. We are hopeful that government will soon release guidelines for private schools to benefit from this support.

    “NAPPS is equally appreciative of the single loan digit approved by the Federal Government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s N5O billion COVID-19 intervention funds,” Otubela said.

    He said NAPPs serves as the umbrella body and voice of private school owners in the country.

    The president said that his members would ensure strict adherence to the safety protocols recommended by NCDC to prevent spread of the disease, within the school environment.

    “Some of the safety protocols recommended include: provision of running water, soap for handwashing, provision of Infra-red thermometers to monitor staff, students and visitors’ temperature.

    “Enforcement of face mask, provision of sick bay to be managed by qualified health personnel and others,” Otubela said.