The Anambra State House of Assembly has risen against practices perceived as exploitative in schools as the house on Tuesday passed a resolution calling Governor Chukwuma Soludo to direct the Commissioner for Education to address the high cost of textbooks, school uniforms purchased from exclusively designated vendors and mandatory extramural classes in public, private and mission schools in the state.

The resolution was made following a motion moved by the Deputy Majority Leader and member representing Ekwusigo Constituency, Ikenna Ofodeme during plenary session on Tuesday.

Ofodeme submitted that the widespread practices of mandatory extramural classes and the purchase of specific textbooks and uniforms from exclusively designated vendors, place undue financial burdens on parents and guardians, particularly for families with multiple children in the same school.

He argued that the trends as well as the practice of preventing families from utilizing textbooks across siblings, are counterproductive and at odds with Anambra’s educational policy of inclusivity and affordability, undermining the goals of Sustainable Development Goal 4, which advocates for accessible quality education.

After the legislators took turns to voice their concerns about the impact of these practices on low-income families, the Speaker of the House, Somto Udeze, referred the issue to the Committees on Education for further review and to consider legal amendments that would support fairer practices in schools.