Osun Secondary School Students Protest Govt.’s Parent’s Tax Clearance For Admission Policy

Although he has not paid their parents salaries for over eight months and businesses across the state are suffering as a result, Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola has made the tender of three-year tax clearance of parents a pre-requisite of admittance of both new and returning students. This angered the students who yesterday staged a protest.

In accordance with the new tax regime of the state government, an adult artisan is expected to pay a sum of N1, 500 per year as tax, while the arrears of three years of tax beginning from 2013 amount to N4,500.

The protesting students walked across major streets in the state capital before moving to the State Secretariat.

Some of the students, who spoke to newsmen, urged the state government to shelve demand for evidence of three years tax payment by their parent before they are allowed to sit for their papers, stressing that many of them tried without success to get the tax clearance.

They added that the government should look for other means to ensure payment of taxes rather than tying it to education.

The Permanent Secretary, Osun State Ministry of Education, Mr. Lawrence Oyeniran, who addressed the students explained that the tax scheme was meant to ensure that parents with wards in public schools, pay their taxes and assured them that the matter will be resolved amicably.