By Duke Onyeoma, Owerri
The disagreement between parents of school children studying at the Amazing Grace Schools, Orji in Owerri North LGA of Imo State over alleged termly increment of school fees, has reached a crescendo.
According to our investigations, the parents have given the Proprietor of the group of schools, Rev Agbaso, seven days ultimatum to refund them monies already paid for items such as classroom lockers and textbooks. The items they say, had been paid for since the session began but not yet given to the children.
Sources say the Proprietor who had earlier, increased the school fees for all children in the cadres of school -nursery, primary and secondary by N5000 during the first term, to take effect in the second term. This increment irked the parents and it was later reduced to N3000.
In a letter to Rev Agbaso, which was made available to citystar247.com, the parents revealed that on April 1st 2022, the Proprietor announced, during a PTA meeting, another increment of N5000.
Reacting to this latest increment, on April 25th, 2022, parents and guardians wrote a protest letter to the Proprietor rejecting the said new increment, urging the school management to rescind the decision.
In his own reaction, the Proprietor was said to have convened a meeting of the PTA executives on May 3rd 2022, where he rescinded the decision on the increment. This meeting was said to have been witnessed by the Headmistress, Principal and Administrator of the school.
According to the parents, the Proprietor on the 10th of May 2022 through one Mrs Anointing, said to be Rev Agbaso’s daughter, made a post on the official PTA WhatsApp platform of Amazing Grace Schools, denying any such cancellation of the said increment.
The parents who felt slighted at a meeting with the Proprietor on 13th May 2022 at the school premises handed over a protest letter dated 12th May, 2022, where they complained about the psychological abuse on them by the Proprietor over the issue. They equally insisted that he rescinds the decision on the increment.
Addressing the parents, Rev Agbaso reportedly told them that there are many schools in Orji and environs and that those that can not pay the school fees as increased should take their children and leave the school.
Sources say that parents agreed to the Proprietor’s decision to renege on his earlier agreement with them on the condition that the school must refund them either with cash or the items they had already paid for which have not been given to their wards.
A parent and member of the PTA committee who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity said parents have been enduring the hazardous learning environment under which their children have been studying for quite some time now.
it should also be noted that the parents pointed out that Amazing Grace Schools share boundary with a filling station that sells pms and gas, a bakery with a smoke-oozing furnace as well as a poultry that releases dangerous foul odour.
They said these challenges as well as the noise from generating sets of these business concerns, make it unconducieve for the health and learning of the children and staff of the school.
As revealed in their letter to the Proprietor, the parents have threatened to shut down Amazing Grace Schools through a peaceful protest if after seven days the school management fails to refund them what they have demanded.
Efforts to hear the Proprietor’s side of the imbroglio failed at the time of filing this report. citystar247.com made effort to get a response from Ms Anointing said to be the daughter of the Proprietor and also a staff of the school which did not yield fruit as she ignored a text message sent to her phone for explanation on the boiling issue
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