Faced with worsening economic hardship, parents across the country have begun to withdraw their children from private schools for their public counterparts.
Those who still patronise the private schools have transferred their children or wards to those in their neighbourhood without consideration for quality and standards.
Those interviewed by LEADERSHIP Sunday said they took the measure because of the astronomic increase in school fees and transport fares occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.
Some private schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) confirmed that they have experienced serious decline in the return of old students.
Since most schools resumed in Nigeria on September 9, 2024, there are reports of a decline in returning students, while others experienced an influx of new enrolments from families seeking affordable educational alternatives.
The drop in enrolment is largely attributed to soaring bus fares, increases in tuition and associated fees, which have surged by as much as 50 per cent in some cases.
It was gathered that, at a prominent school located in Jikwoyi, Abuja, tuition fees have risen from about N2.7 million per session to over N3 million.
A member of the school’s management, who requested anonymity due to a lack of authorisation to speak publicly, noted that while a few parents have withdrawn their children, the school has not seen a significant decline in overall enrolment.
“While some parents have decided to withdraw their children due to financial constraints, we are also seeing an influx of new students from families seeking quality education. Fees here have increased by 20 per cent and parents are understandably anxious,” the official said.
At some branches of Kingdom Heritage Schools, Abuja, transportation costs have jumped from N20,000 last term to N45,000 this session. One parent, who identified herself as Mummy Mimi, expressed her concerns, stating that she is considering transferring her children to a nearby school.
“My friends have moved their children to schools they can walk to, given the rising bus charges,” she said.
In other major private schools across Abuja, fee increases were reported at the close of the previous session in July, although specific amounts were not disclosed.
Mrs Gloria Moji, a parent of two at Bright Academy, Abuja, shared her experience of making difficult financial choices. Since her husband’s salary was not increased despite the economic hardship, she had to withdraw her children from their private school.
“I had to make the tough decision to pull my children out this term. The fees became unbearable after the increase, and I can’t justify the cost with my current income. I hope to bring them back when things improve,” she said.
Meanwhile, amid the rising cost of school fees, private school teachers across the country have voiced their growing frustration over stagnant salaries and escalating economic challenges.
Despite rising costs of living, including inflation and increased prices for essential goods, many teachers find themselves grappling with the same meagre salaries they received years ago.
A private school teacher in Abuja, Mr Matthew Nyikaa, lamented the increasing workload and lack of improved welfare, which complicate his ability to deliver high-quality education.
“Over the past four years, my salary has remained static without any increase. It feels disheartening when our efforts are not recognised in our salaries,” he said.
Parents in Ilorin, Kwara State, have joined the fray by withdrawing their children from private primary and secondary schools due to economic hardship.
Some parents and heads of schools who spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday confirmed the development.
The concerned parents complained about astronomical increments in the fees being charged by the private primary and secondary schools in the state.
A parent, Hajia Binta Lawal told LEADERSHIP Sunday that some of her friends have withdrawn their children from a private school alongside her own children because of the increase in the school fees.
“Some of my friends have withdrawn their children from the private school because the school fees had jumped from about N70,000 to N90,000,” she said.
Another parent, Alhaji Saadu Adeoye, said he had withdrawn his children from a private school and enrolled them in a public school, where they pay little or no fees.
He said the public schools now have quality teachers who are being strictly monitored by the State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB) digitally through KwaraLEARN initiative.
The head of Al-Mahmud Group of Schools, Alagbado area of Ilorin, Malam Abubakar AbdulRazaq, confirmed that parents were withdrawing their children from the private schools due to economic hardship.
He disclosed that the proprietors of some private schools in the state have approved the payment of school fees in instalments to discourage parents from withdrawing their children from schools.
The principal of another private school in Ilorin who pleaded anonymity confirmed the development.
According to Mrs Bunmi Abdullahi, proprietor of Holder Day Primary and Secondary Schools located in Akute, Ifo LGA, on the outskirts of Lagos, she only increased school fees minimally in this new session (2024/2025) and also last term of 2023/2024.
“We are all experiencing hardship in this nation and we are hoping things will get better but it isn’t so we have to manage the situation. My school has one of the lowest school fees compared to other schools in the community. This new session, I only added N7,000 to the school fees for the primary schools and N10,000 for the secondary schools and they are allowed to pay in instalments. Paying teachers’ salary has been a topsy-turvy situation but I have a mechanism in place and I try to pay my teachers as at when due.”
Corroborating this, the proprietor of Early Risers Primary School based in the Akowonjo area of Lagos, Mrs Ajala Kehinde, stated that school owners are running the show on their own as no one or government has come to their aid since COVID-19 hit the nation and everything has become the new normal.
Private Schools are coping with the economic situation and teachers in the schools are also reeling under this dilemma. School attendance is still normal as most schools still maintain the same numbers of students in Lagos schools which account for the highest number of private primary and secondary schools in Nigeria according to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
The president of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Lagos State chapter, Mr Alaka Yusuf, in an earlier chat with LEADERSHIP Sunday noted that teachers welfare and salaries are sacrosanct and members of his association put the salaries and welfare of teachers above other situations even in this hard times.
Following the economic hardship and the need for an upward review of staff salaries to meet with the daily needs, some private schools in Kano reviewed their fees upwards, a development that has either led to massive school change to an affordable ones, leaving some to suffer less enrolment.
In Bradford College, despite the hike in school fees from N120,000 to N170,000, they experience more enrolment considering its location and affordability compared to some schools with similar standards in the state.
According to a senior staff of the college who doesn’t want her name in print, the school experienced almost double of the number they had last session.
“We didn’t expect it because the numbers outweigh our arrangement like in the area of uniforms, among others; we have more classes and students.
“Among the elite/big schools around, our school fee is one of the lowest. This is because we are just in our fourth year and coming up; our school fee is still more affordable than those that pay over N1 million,” she stated.
She however noted that despite the increase in enrolment of new students, they still noticed the withdrawal of students, especially when they started sending students back home for school fees, noting that some went back home and never resumed again.
A teacher with the Supreme International School, Mrs Grace Philip, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the school experienced a mass exodus of students due to the hike in school fees.
A parent, Mrs Hannatu Aje said the hike in the cost of transportation and school fees at her kids’ former school made her bring them close to her residence.
Another parent, Mrs Fatima Ahmed, told our correspondent that her decision to change her ward’s school from Ahmadu Bello Way to the estate was to cut down transportation fares and to send them to a school she could afford.
In Imo State, factors that played out in the choice of schools centred on the state of roads, transportation costs, quality of teachers and flexibility to pay fees.
Leadership Sunday gathered that many parents opted for boarding services in response to high transportation costs.
A source said the number of students in mission schools dropped as parents could not cope with the fees at Holy Ghost College, Owerri Girls Secondary School, Kingdom Heritage Model (Nursery and Primary) School, Claret Secondary School, and Elite Academy.
A visit to Divine Triumph International Secondary School, Queen of Mercy Nursery and Primary School, Peniel of Success, Susan Chris International Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools, Eton Day Primary and Secondary Schools all in Owerri showed a slight increase in numbers.
The school authorities refused to give the exact number but said they provided measures for parents to pay school fees on installments.
