Umuahia — PARENTS and guardians in Abia State are currently bemoaning the high rate of fees in private schools in the state, and called on the government to place a ceiling on how much the institutions could charge.

They also lamented that despite the regular, indiscriminate upward review of fees, private schools had no corresponding facilities to show for the high fees.

The parents and guardians also accused proprietors of the schools of effecting increase in fees without recourse to the Parents/Teachers Associations.

Beside the high fees, the parents noted that most of the projects in the schools were executed by PTAs, wondering what the high fees were meant.

Parents, who spoke to Vanguard in Aba and Umuahia, were unanimous in condemning the indiscriminate increase in fees and called on the government to properly monitor private schools in the state.

"We are fed up with the practice in these private schools over the way they increase fees in the schools. They now do it at will, at times every term, some times two or three times a term.

"They now make sure that they effect an increase every term. This is in addition to other sundry fees they charge. It is too much.

"I blame the government that allowed the public schools to degenerate to what they are today. Thank God that Governor Orji has handed over some schools to the original missionary owners.

"We just hope that the churches would revive them and not also place emphasis on monetary gains like the private operators."