The Ebonyi State Government has ordered private schools to update their Internally Generated Revenue documents immediately or face sanctions.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Education Obianuju Aloh presented the charge at the Old Cabinet Office, Abakaliki.
She claims that the state government under Governor David Umahi has improved the lives of Ebonyi people and that private schools should reciprocate by paying state taxes.
The minister recommended the schools utilise the government-approved textbooks and hire skilled and educated instructors to enhance the quality of education in private schools.
Chairman of the Internal Revenue Service Agwu Nweze explained the fees and levies that have been accepted as IGR from private schools, including the Annual Renewal/Operational Fee, Waste Management Fee, Fire Service Fee, and Development Levy.
The chairman, represented by Celestine Okoro, said that the fees and levies were outlined in the Ebonyi State Revenue Law 2021 and that private schools should pay them on time.
National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) State Chairman Kingsley Igboke welcomed the meeting, saying it allowed the group to exchange ideas on private school development with the government.
Mr Igboke told the administration that the group would help improve education for the state’s overall prosperity and said that private institutions would gladly pay the IGR owed to the government.
He added that the association’s members would continue to retrain instructors, enhance infrastructure, utilise government-approved textbooks, and maintain a clean learning environment.
