LAGOS — The Federal Ministry of Education has directed the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA), ordering that the handover process begin immediately and be completed within six months.
The directive was communicated to the school’s Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) through an official letter received by the association, according to its chairman, Engr. Peter Oluwaleye. He disclosed the development after an emergency meeting involving stakeholders at the institution.
Oluwaleye said the ministry directed stakeholders to formally notify the school community that the college had been concessioned to KCOBA and instructed that a transition committee be constituted without delay.
The committee is expected to oversee the handover and ensure that the transition is completed within the six-month period stipulated by the ministry.
A major concern arising from the directive is the Federal Government’s future financial responsibility for the institution. According to Oluwaleye, the ministry stated that government funding for activities at King’s College would stop once the concession process had been completed.
The PTA chairman also said the association had been directed to provide the transition committee with a list of staff who wished to remain employees of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC).
The development was subsequently communicated to the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) and members of staff, but the announcement was followed by immediate industrial action.
Staff Shut Down College
Oluwaleye said the staff union responded by shutting down the college and restricting entry into and exit from the institution.
He added that staff unions across the country had been informed about the development, while neighbouring schools were expected to begin solidarity actions in response to the concession decision.
The PTA chairman warned that the disruption could extend beyond King’s College if the Federal Ministry of Education did not provide what he described as a favourable response within a reasonable period.
The reaction has also raised concerns among parents over the process through which the concession was announced.
Oluwaleye said parents were not consulted before the decision was communicated, despite the implications of the change for students currently enrolled at the institution.
He argued that parents had a legitimate interest in understanding the terms and conditions governing the concession, particularly because their children were admitted to King’s College as a federal unity school.
“Our children got admitted into KC as a unity school. They should have been allowed to graduate under the same terms,” he said.
PTA Questions Six-Month Transition
The proposed six-month transition period has also come under scrutiny from the PTA.
Oluwaleye described the timeframe as inadequate for a major change involving the management and funding structure of one of the country’s federal unity schools.
He said the PTA would continue discussions with relevant stakeholders while exploring lawful options to protect the interests of students affected by the decision.
The association’s position reflects concerns over how the concession could affect students who entered the college under the existing federal government arrangement and whose education is still ongoing.
For parents, the immediate uncertainty also concerns the school’s academic calendar and the planned resumption of students.
Parents Await Resumption Decision
Parents have been advised to continue preparing their children for the proposed September 13 resumption date, although the PTA asked them to delay buying perishable back-to-school items until there is greater clarity over the situation.
The association said parents would receive further information between Monday and Thursday on whether King’s College would reopen as scheduled.
The transition committee, once constituted, is expected to oversee the process leading to the proposed handover of the college to KCOBA within six months, while the dispute over consultation, staff status, government funding and the future terms of students remains unresolved.
King’s College Lagos Concessioned to Old Boys’ Association as Parents, Staff Protest
