The Ausphine School, Kugbo, Abuja, has explained why it closed operations in December 2024.
A press statement, signed by Mrs J.E. Omokhuale, explained that the closure was the culmination of a process and series of events that officially started on July 26, 2024, when the proprietors convened a PTA meeting to announce their intention to close the school.
She said subsequent meetings were held to discuss options that later proved unviable to prevent the closure, which was eventually carried out without violating the guidelines issued by the Department of Quality Assurance, Education Secretariat, FCT, and with uncommon respect for the pupils, parents, and staff of the school.
In addition to the meetings, she said the school’s management disseminated information to the parents, especially those who were absent from the meetings, through the school’s WhatsApp platform, where most of the reasons for the decision were again provided.
“Most importantly, the proprietors, motivated by their deep empathy for parents, promised financial assistance to ease their transition to other schools. They requested their parents’ bank details, which were shared via WhatsApp.
“The financial assistance included a refund of part of the first-term fees for school uniforms for pupils who joined the school in September 2024 and a proportion of the cost of books for all pupils. Before the widely publicised story, 70.4% of the pupils had benefited, and no parent had complained about the closure process.“
According to her, all staff were paid their terminal benefits, and some parents benefited from the disposal of the school’s assets, including computer systems, printers, and furniture.
“The closure story was solely brought to the public by Barr. Titus Terfa Agundu, the PTA Chairman, often spearheaded resistance to school fee increases and was one of the school’s debtors, contributing to the school’s inability to generate enough income to cover its expenses.
“He used a reporter, a relative, to broadcast falsehoods about the closure through many news outlets,“ she added.
