Back to school amidst unpaid salaries, fuel crisis

School resumptions always come with anxieties for most parents because of the attendant expenses. Especially at the beginning of the year, when some parents would have spent money on giving their children a befitting holiday, Christmas and New Year festivities. Most parents approach the new school term with minimal planning and preparation. Such situations are […]

School resumptions always come with anxieties for most parents because of the attendant expenses. Especially at the beginning of the year, when some parents would have spent money on giving their children a befitting holiday, Christmas and New Year festivities. Most parents approach the new school term with minimal planning and preparation. Such situations are worsened by Shylock traders that are ready to make huge profits from the school calendar.

As such, the costs of books, educational materials, toiletries, food items, and new uniforms, especially for boarding students, is usually higher than expected. The reoccurring fuel scarcity and hard economic situation in the country is also not helping. However, the resumption of school last week came at the wake of yuletide period, which comes with lots of expenses as well, in addition to the fuel scarcity, and hike in prices of school items.

Daily Trust on Saturday observed that good school bags which go within the range of N3,000 to N3,500 are now as high as N5,000 to N6,000 depending on one’s negotiating skills, while other items like toiletries had prices jacked up significantly, depending on the shopping location.  

Some parents who spoke to Daily Trust on Saturday expressed concern over the rise in prices. One Mr Isiyaku Haruna, who resides at Garki, said apart from the school fees and other instructional materials, he spent huge amount of money on transport fares and school shopping for his two children. “I faced serious challenges this time around due to the fuel scarcity, the transport fares soared. I paid N3,000 transport fares for each of my two children from Abuja to Kano as against N2,500  that was charged before now, apart from the school fees and shopping that I did for them.”

For Mr Ibrahim Sani, a resident of Wuse II, the fuel scarcity has increased his expenditure for his children’s education. “In this session, to transport the children to their school, cost me about N30,000 for fuelling and other expenses. I also did shopping for them and gave them pocket money.” He said that apart from school fees, the prices of cutlasses, hoes, brooms, detergent, disinfectant, and other essentials requested by the school have also skyrocketed. 

“Most people that are selling these things know that schools have resumed, so they increased the prices,” he lamented.

Another parent, Mr. Vitrus Lterni, who resides at New Nyanya, however complained about the exorbitant fees charged by both public and private schools, saying both have been increasing fees without contacting parents. “I am facing difficulties in paying my children school fees. I have a child in a federal government college and a daughter in a private school, both hiking fees without my consent. I have paid N25,500 for my child and about N38,000 for my daughter. This is too much for me,” Lterni said. He further said: “Another issue is the N5,000 PTA levy the school is charging per session. Parents will pay N15,000 per annum. They should reduce it.” He appealed to Federal Government to come in and take proactive measures to reduce the school fees. 

Mr Sunday Abitoye, who resides at Lugbe said that he faced difficulty in paying his children school fees due to economic hardship. “I have four children in private school. I could barely pay their schools fees, and I am thinking to remove them and take them to public school because it is becoming unbearable,” he said.

But another parent, Alhaji Haruna Aliu who resides at Apo New Extension said he faced no problem with increment in school fees, and so it’s not difficult for him to pay, as he enrolled his children in a school that he can afford. He attributed the plight of some parents to misplacement of priority called on them to live according to their earnings. “Some parents faced difficulty in paying school fees because they enrolled their children in high-priced schools,” he said.

However, Daily Trust checks showed that many schools have not increased fees, in spite of the ongoing fuel scarcity. 

On fees increment, the President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), FCT chapter, Hajiya Samira Jibir said that they cautioned their members against increasing school fees. “We have been telling our members not to increase their schools fees. Even our national president, in one of our meetings, told our members not to increase schools fees,” she said. 

Jibir said some parents even owe schools, and makes it difficult for them because the schools depend on the fees to pay their teachers and maintain their schools. She however, lamented on issue of multiple taxes as the major challenge facing private schools in the country, while calling on government to look into the matter.