An official said the new taxes is part of the reforms in the state's education sector.

The Enugu State Government said it asked private schools to pay between N100,000 and N300,000 as education tax, not N5 million.

The State Commissioner for Education, Ndubueze Mbah made the clarification in a statement in Enugu.

"New and existing private schools in the state are required to either register for provisional approval or have their licences renewed.

"This is between N100,000 and N300,000, depending on the category the schools fall in. The approved schedule of fees was released to the public earlier in June," he said.

He urged the public to disregard the publication that the Governor Peter Mbah-led administration has imposed N1 million to N5 million mandatory payments on private schools in the state as educational taxes.

"Extant laws empower the Ministry of Education of Enugu State to maintain minimum standards of education for both public and private schools.

"The ministry is also empowered to streamline and enhance the effective administration, monitoring, and supervision of private schools," the commissioner said.

The commissioner said that the defaulters resorted to a smear campaign against the government because they feared the consequences of operating unlicensed private schools, which can result in imprisonment of up to 10 years and the possible closure of the schools.

"The government is undeterred, as Governor Mbah will not fold his arms and watch the future of Enugu children destroyed by illegal and unscrupulous schools and proprietors".

He added that the ministry held engagements with stakeholders in the education sector across the state during the revision of the 2024 Enugu State Schools Licensing Fees Regulation.

He vowed not to back down on the "reforms".

(NAN)