School Resumption: Parents Lament As Fees Go Up 40%

As primary and secondary schools reopen across the country today parents and guardians are going to contend with paying higher school fees, as most private schools have increased fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, checks by Vanguard have shown.

Even those with wards in public schools in a place, such as Lagos State, who are not in formal employment where they can secure tax clearance certificates, now have to pay N20,100 levy instead of the previous amount of N10,100.

A private secondary school in Ipaja area of Lagos, (identity withheld) increased the tuition fee from N86,000 per term to N124,000.

Similarly, another school in Egbeda area increased tuition fee from N250,000 per term to N320,000.

Reports from across the country indicated a similar pattern in terms of fees and other obligations parents have to meet.

Fuel price hike may hamper school runs

With the frequent increase in the pump price of fuel in the country, some school owners may scale down their school bus system.

With the latest price increase happening a few days ago when parents had been sent bills in July, some school owners are considering sending fresh bills to parents to reflect the economic realities of the day.

In the same vein, more parents may outsource the transportation of their children to and from school to private transporters and cyclists.

A parent, John Aderiye, said the it would not make any economic sense if he had to spend about N10,000 on fuel to take his child to school and back home.

“I have decided to save my self needless stress by contracting a tricyclist in my neighbourhood to take my son to and from school. What I will be spending on that monthly is a fragment of what I would have spent on fuelling my car to do so,” he stated.

Also, a school owner in Alagbado area of Lagos has completely stopped the school bus system.

Now, parents will be responsible for bringing their children to school or let them stay in the hostel.

Her decision, it was gathered, was based on the cost of maintaining the buses and fuel.

School owners rue unpaid bills

When contacted, the President of the Lagos Chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, Otunba Yusuf Alaka, noted that private school owners were not to blame for the increase in fees.

“In fact, the increase ought to be higher than that if the cost of living would be taken into consideration in full force. The increase being complained about, that is 40 per cent, is small if we are to go the whole hog.

‘’But we are considerate too and moreover, many of our members have hundreds of millions of naira yet to be paid by parents. Do you know that some parents will owe fees here and take their children to another school the following term.

“If you look at a school and you see say 300 students, ask the owner how many students have fully paid their fees at the end of the term. That is apart from the operational cost that keeps increasing daily. We also have different levies and taxes to pay various tiers of government.

“People don’t seem to understand what we go though running our schools. People are running away from the teaching profession and to get people to take up the job, you have to pay them well. In some parts of Lagos now, you can’t pay a teacher less than N150,000 monthly. If you have your own permanent site for a school, have you considered the cost of renting a place?!

‘’We understand the situation and we are not too shylock in our thinking and action. Let the people understand what we are going through too,” he said.

Parents reeling under heavy economic weight —NAPTAN

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, said parents were groaning under heavy economic weights, including paying school fees and buying books for their children.

“School owners have increased fees by between 30 and 40 per cent and many parents are finding it difficult to cope because of the economic situation in the country.

‘’What the proprietors are saying is that operational cost has increased. They cite the cost of maintenance of facilities, even classrooms, where if they have any repair to do, is expensive.