Parents Condemn Atlantic Hall Monthly Fee on Virtual School

Parents of Atlantic Hall School in Epe have condemned the monthly fee charged for the virtual lessons organised by the school.

According to the school’s parents forum, the school imposed an exorbitant monthly fee of N195,000 on parents, effective May, 2020.

The school’s plan is to run the virtual school till end of July or till the time schools reopen after the relaxation of the COVID-19 restrictions by the state.

It was gathered that parents’ reactions to the exorbitant fee had caused the school management to reduce the fee to N175,000 as contained in a letter sent to parents on May 10, 2020.

In the letter, it was clearly stated that the virtual lesson will run till the term eventually reopens, even though the school recognises that the term may not open.

During the PTA meeting held via Zoom conferencing facility on Tuesday evening, it was reported that parents complained bitterly about the insensitivity of the school management to their plights, especially during this pandemic.

They described the management as ‘too profit-oriented’ with no regard for the mood of the nation or the global economic agony triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The meeting which was however, chaired by the PTA Chairman, Temilola Achakobe, became rowdy, as parents took turns to hit at the Principal, Andrew Jedras, who tried hard to sell the position of the Atlantic Hall Board. He claimed that the fees were reasonable and fair for the services offered.

Parents cited other top private schools such as Corona School, Greenspring School, among others who charged about N60,000 monthly for virtual lessons.

A parent, who simply identified himself as Ben, stated that the parents were willing to pay for value and would not submit to exploitation.

“The virtual lessons are deployed using the conferencing apps and with just three lessons per day with the usual connection challenges,” the parent said.