EKITI: Catholic Diocese Drags Fayose, State Government To Court Over Education Levy

Ayo Fayose

CATHOLIC Diocese of Ekiti State has dragged the Ekiti State Government to court over the imposition of education levy on the pupils and students of primary and secondary schools respectively in the state stating that the act contravened the compulsory free universal basic education law.

Following the introduction of the levy (education tax) in the state by the administration of Governor Ayo Fayose, the state government shut down all the schools which refused to comply with the directive including schools belonging to the Catholic mission in the state.

Under a new tax regime in the state, pupils in the fifteen primary and seven secondary schools in the diocese are to pay N500 and N1,000, respectively which the church decline to comply with.

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye, who broke the news in Ado Ekiti, accused the state government of being insensitive, especially shutting the schools when pupils were preparing for their National Examination Council examinations.

“I am concerned about the propriety of imposing any development levy on pupils in Catholic mission schools in Ekiti State, moreover when our schools are paying various levies and taxes demanded by the local and state governments respectively.

“The closure of the schools is painful to me. The pupils are preparing to sit for exams and the government is closing down their schools. This is insensitivity”, Ajakaye said.

Confirming the development, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Jide Egunjobi, stated that there’s no going back on the resolution to shut down all schools that didn’t comply with the directive adding that the resolution was adopted during the recent education summit held and all stakeholders unanimously adopted the resolutions.

 “It is true, we shut the schools that failed to pay. Schools that paid are in operation. We only shut those that refused to pay. We all agreed to the development levy at the education summit, so, there is no going back”, Egunjobi said.

In a suit at the state high court by the Incorporated Trustees of the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti, the plaintiff prayed the court to declare the imposition of such levies as illegal and unconstitutional adding that the action violated Section 2 of Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act 2004 and Section 19 of the state Universal Basic Education Board Law.

In the application filed before the court, the plaintiff specifically contends whether every child of primary school and junior secondary school age in the state is not entitled to free and compulsory basic education under Section 2 of Compulsory Free Universal Education Act, 2004 and Section 19 of Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board Law.

The defendants are the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and the Commissioner for Education.