NAPPS decries multiple taxation of members

By Aherhoke Okioma
Yenagoa

The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), has decried the multiple taxation of its members by government agencies that have consistently been harassing its members in the guise of their avowed aggressive drive to increase
the internally generated revenue (IGR) for the state.
The association stressed that since its establishment in 2005 with the aim of promoting the welfare and interaction of private schools and advancement of quality of education service in Nigeria in general and Bayelsa state in particular.
He said the core value of NAPPS include professionalism, equity, religious tolerance, discipline, integrity and patriotism.
The state President of NAPPS ,  Pastor  Jerry Yeseme Moses stated this in his address on the NAPPS day celebration 2016 in Yenagoa.
According to him, the association plays a dominant role in employment generation, perhaps the highest numbers of employment opportunities in Bayelsa state.
Available statistics show that the least private school in the state has an average of 15 – 20  employees and by that it plays complimentary role in improvement in the standard and quality assurance in the  educational sector of the state.

“Despite the huge progress recorded in public schools, the importance of private schools in Bayelsa state is tremendous and deserve assistance by all stakeholders. Bayelsa state has a total of over 700 private schools, those that are yet to accredited notwithstanding ”
He appealed to the state to  be involved in training and re- training of its members and distribution of instructional materials, multiple taxation, proliferation of sub – standard private schools , refusal of its members to regularize their membership  and reduction of out of school drop outs  as some of the challenges militating against the association that are begging for consideration for it to sustain its
avowed promise to contribute to the growth and expansion of the educational sector in the state.
Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion, Dr Peter Akpe, applauded the complimentary role the private schools have been playing in not only improving the standard and quality of education in the state, its contribution in employment generation and boosting of internal revenue generation in the state.
He stressed that the world over,  government alone cannot provide employment for the citizenry and  for these reasons the state government will continue to partner with NAPPS  as such would encourage any legislation that would remove any bottlenecks especially the multiple taxation.
Dr Akpe, who is also the leader and  the House Committee Chairman of Education in the Bayelsa state House of Assembly, also warned members of the NAPPS not to see some of the government policies on inspection and standardisation of schools on quality assurance.