However, parents whose wards attend private schools are worried and sad, and some of them even trying relocating them to public(government) schools.
Also the parents said they have been notified of the increasements in school fees, feeding, transportation and uniforms.
While some parents said that it has become a norm for the most private schools to increase fees at the beginning of every session, some schools are saying the increase was with the consent of stakeholders who also acknowledged the prevailing economic situation occasioned by rising inflation and deteriorating value of the naira.
Findings revealed that some schools have increased their fees by between 30% and 50%.
It’s unbearable – Parents
Many parents in Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and other states worried about the increase in school fees of their children in private schools.
Some of them even saying if public schools were functioning as well, they would not see any reason to take their children to private schools.
Abdullahi Usman, who his two children attend the private primary school around Life Camp in Abuja, said, “The increment is arrasing. We used to pay N200, 000 per child per term in primary school but it is now N280, 000. This excludes uniforms and books.”
Jeniffer Samuel said the fees for her four-year-old granddaughter who are in nursery one is N170,000.
“Her father was also buying uniforms and books from the school…It is sad because they do not allow parents to go to the market and buy uniforms. They make a lot of fortune from it.”
Asked why she will not take the girl to a public school, which is free, Jenifer said, “We all do public schools during our days but the process are different now. This is the truth; if you want your children to be excel, you have to pay heavily for their education,” she add.
Mr Kelvin Oji also said her children’s school fees increased by 25% for the new session.
“I didn’t even go through the list on the paper to know why they are charging more because it has become a normal, they always increase fees each session.
“The past two sessions recorded 10% and 15% increment, but now they have change it by 25%,” he said.
Abdulkadir Abubakar, a small business man in Kano and father of three, said that the increment was meant to disappared parents.
“I do not see any reason why the schools are increasing their fees; there is nothing new about their service to our children to warrant any review. The state government or the school regulatory agency should come to help us.”
For Malam Aminu Ibrahim, a civil servant, private schools were becoming business ventures that the owners use to depressed parents.
Alhaji Ado Sale, a businessman, said that he was considering to relocate his children in public schools because of the arbitrary increase in fees in private schools.
Malama Hadiza Ali, a widow with four children in private schools, said: “Apart from school fees, I have so much on my head, like feeding, rent and so many responsibilities. I am thinking of relocationg them into a public school instead.”
In Lagos, a banker, Mr Lawrence Olu, says that school fees take the highest portion of parents annual incomes, it had reduced the living for households.
“My child school has increased the fee by even over 15%. I have decided to withdraw my son from the school because I cannot take on.”
Another resident in Lagos, Sam said the economic situation of the country is making his life difficult, as a salary earner.
“Sincerely, this would not be easy for parents because even the summer lessons fees were increased above 50% compared to what we paid time ago. We know the situation of the economy but most of these schools are taking advantage of the situation to exploit parents,” he said.
A Vulcaniser in Ikeja, Mr Waheed Shamsudeen said he will change school for his four kids from a private school they are attending because of increased fees to public school.
“Though I have promised my wife before she died that I was going to do all I can to give our the kids a good education, at this point, I can no longer pay high school fees.”
A parent in Port Harcourt, Onyeka Imeadi said, “We used to pay N30, 000 but the management of the school wrote to inform us that the school fees will be increased to N50,000 from the next academic session.”