Low turnout as students resume

There was a low turnout of pupils and students in both secondary and primary schools as schools across different parts of the country resumed the new academic session on Monday. Our correspondents, who visited some secondary and primary schools, observed that only a small number of students reported to their respective schools.   FCT At […]

There was a low turnout of pupils and students in both secondary and primary schools as schools across different parts of the country resumed the new academic session on Monday.

Our correspondents, who visited some secondary and primary schools, observed that only a small number of students reported to their respective schools.

 

FCT

At the LEA Primary School in Dei-Dei community, Abuja, only a handful of pupils were seen, most of them sitting idly, while some engaged in playing football on the resumption day.

Although it was already after break time when our reporter visited the school, it was gathered that no lessons had taken place up to that time.

Teachers of the school, on the other hand, were seen sitting in groups. When our reporter inquired whether classes had been held, one of the teachers simply responded: “We can only teach them if they are around, but as you can see, they are very few in number.”

Our reporter also observed that some pupils of the school had joined other children-dressed in casual clothes and not enrolled in the school-to play football on the field.

Commenting further, a teacher noted that many of the children identified as almajiris often invade the school during classes, thereby disrupting teaching activities. He lamented that all previous efforts to stop them had proven abortive.

At the nearby Junior Secondary School (JSS), Dei-Dei, the situation appeared similar, as only a few students were present on the first day of resumption.

Those who attended were mostly seen sitting idly either inside the classrooms or outside, with a few still struggling to clean the administrative section of the school. Others were spotted moving chairs from one building to another as late as 10:30 a.m.

 

Kano

Public and private schools in Kano resumed for a new academic session on Monday; however, our reporter observed that many students stayed away from school.

At Al’Furqan International School, Gyadi-Gyadi, only a few students were seen in classrooms, even though those present were at their duty posts.

A similar scenario was recorded at Government Secondary School, Darmanawa.

Buhari Yau, a parent, described the low turnout of students on the first day of resumption as normal, explaining that many students do not expect academic activities to begin immediately.

Another parent, Ibrahim Rufai Buhari, called for the introduction of minimum but uniform school fees, lamenting that some private schools arbitrarily increase their charges without any regulatory checks, leaving parents to bear the financial burden.

He said, “I would like the state government to impose minimum school fees based on the standards of the schools. It is unfortunate that they are turning this into a business.”

However, monitoring teams from the Kano State Ministry of Education expressed satisfaction with the turnout of teachers and students in primary and post-primary schools across the state on the first day of the 2025/2026 academic session.

The teams observed that most schools had both teachers and students present, with minimal absenteeism recorded.

They also noted that early preparations for lessons were underway and school premises were kept clean.

The State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ali Haruna Makoda, commended the turnout and urged principals and head teachers to sustain the momentum.

He further assured that the government remains committed to improving education standards across the state.

The commissioner explained that the monitoring exercise is a long-standing tradition of the ministry aimed at ensuring punctuality and efficiency of staff on the first day of school resumption.

 

Borno

There was also a very low turnout of students in both private and public schools visited by our reporter in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Some parents interviewed attributed the situation to misinformation that circulated early last week, suggesting that the official resumption date had been postponed.

One parent, Aisha Abubakar, explained that she would have also missed taking her child to school if she had not been on her child’s class WhatsApp platform.

“I was convinced that the school calendar had been adjusted, but the principal posted last night that we should disregard the rumours. That was the only reason I brought them to school today,” she said.

She further lamented that the rising cost of education is discouraging many parents from returning their children to school.

“The school fees we normally pay were N65,000, but now it has risen to N93,000, and that does not include books and uniforms. Many parents are considering withdrawing their children because they simply cannot afford it,” she added.

 

 Adamawa

In Adamawa, our correspondent who toured the state capital also reported a low turnout of students, coupled with a sudden rise in educational costs that has left many families struggling to afford their children’s return to school.

For Mr. Hebron Phineas, the sharp increase in fees has derailed his plans to enroll his daughter in secondary school.

He explained that he had previously paid about N150,000 when she was in Primary 5, but the fees for Junior Secondary 1 at the same school have now soared to an overwhelming N279,000.

“I don’t know where I will raise such an amount. My daughter is very intelligent, and I want the best for her, but I simply cannot afford it. I am now undecided about which school to enroll her in,” he said.

Another parent, Malam Hamidu Modibbo, is facing a similar dilemma with his twin sons, who are set to begin Primary 1.

He said that last year he paid N89,000 for each of them, but this year he is expected to pay an additional N50,000 per child, excluding the cost of new uniforms and stationery.

“The fees are simply not realistic,” he stated.

A bookseller, Mrs. Ngozi Ude, noted that the price hikes were unavoidable given the country’s inflationary trend.

“Many parents leave my shop angrily, but that is not my fault-it is the economy. If I sell at last year’s prices, I will be running at a loss and still have to pay my shop rent,” she said.

The proprietress of Garyam Memorial Academy, Mrs. Nancy Hindi, acknowledged the increase in fees but attributed it to the rising cost of renovations and new utilities aimed at improving the learning environment.

She added that her operational costs, including rent and supplies, have risen sharply due to inflation. However, she stressed that she was doing her best to assist parents by purchasing books at wholesale prices and selling them at cheaper rates to ensure that no child is left behind.

 

From Adam Umar (Abuja), Ahmad Datti (Kano), Hamisu K. Matazu (Maiduguri) & Amina Abdullahi (Yola)