- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Government has warned principals of Federal Technical Colleges (FTC) against illegal charges as it reiterated that tuition remains completely free.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Ministry of Education.
According to the statement, tuition completely free across all FTCs in the country with the government also covering approved charges including boarding, uniforms, textbooks, exercise books, prospectus, ID cards, stationery, clubs and societies, amongst others.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stressed that the government bears the full cost of tuition to guarantee equal access.
He warned that no principal or administrator is permitted to demand unauthorized payments from parents or guardians and directed that circulars reinforcing this policy be sent to all schools and parents.
“No Nigerian child should be denied access to technical education because Of illegal charges. By investing in education today, we are building a stronger, self-reliant Nigeria,” Alausa affirmed.
This, according to him, reflected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a pathway to human capital development.
The minister confirmed that monitoring mechanisms are in place to address any infractions swiftly.
However, Alausa clarified that while tuition and core expenses are fully covered, students are expected to provide their personal items which were listed in the statement.
He urged stakeholders to safeguard the free-education policy and ensure Federal Technical Colleges fulfil their mandate of producing skilled graduates for national transformation.