As primary and secondary schools in Nigeria resume for the 2024/2025 academic session after a long holiday, some Nigerian parents have complained about the weight of a harsh economy as they grapple with rising costs of tuition, transportation, and basic goods that have put pressure on household budgets.
The resumption of schools came at a time when Nigerians are battling with the harsh realities of an economy affected by the removal of fuel subsidy and the recent hike in the price of petrol from N617 per litre to N897.
It had been reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) raised the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from its former prices of between N568-N617 per litre to between N855-N897 per litre. This development is said to be effective from September 3, 2024.
The staggering inflation rate, which has led to skyrocketing costs of living, has virtually emptied the pockets of most parents.
Findings by DAILY POST revealed an increase in school fees by private schools due to the high cost of running these schools, ranging from the payment of salaries, multiple taxation by federal, state, and local governments, as well as the high cost of diesel to power generators, creating a perfect storm of financial hardship for every Nigerian family with a school-age child.
Speaking with Journalists some parents lamented the increase in school and book fees of private schools, while others wondered how to cope with transporting their children to school with the hike in transportation fares following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
A civil servant, Mr Anthony Gabriel, lamented the hike in tuition fees, saying that he will be paying N70,000 instead of N50,000 for his son, who is entering SS2, due to the increase in school fees.
Mr Gabriel said he does not find it amusing but has no option as the children must go to school, adding that he doesn’t blame school owners because the removal of the fuel subsidy has affected everything.
He called on the government to come to the aid of parents, especially civil servants, and increase their salaries so they can meet their financial challenges.
It is not easy, especially for those of us who are civil servants, because they are not adding anything to our salaries, unlike people in the market who can easily increase prices of their products and services to make more profit.”
In the same vein, a mother of three and a trader, Mrs Nkechi Njoku, said she received notice from her daughter’s boarding school that they had increased the school fees from N65,000 to N90,500. She added that she has no other option but to withdraw her daughter from the school and find a cheaper one that can still provide the best education.
“I am not ready to have high blood pressure because of the increase in school fees. The cost of virtually everything has skyrocketed. If I should leave my daughter in that school and pay the fees, that means we would have no food to eat again,” Mrs Njoku stated.