Parents Groan As Academic Expenses Soar

As students at primary and secondary levels resumes for first term of 2024/25 academic session across the country, parents are faced with challenges occasioned by high cost of living.

New academic sessions requires basic needs by students which include, books, stationery, school bags, school uniform, foot wears as the case may be among others.

Besides, most schools, especially private ones had their fees increased due to many reasons highlighted by a school proprietor in Osogbo.

According to the proprietor of Best Brain Academy, Osogbo, Elder Joseph Alonge, there is no way schools can run at the same rate they operated last academic session with hike in price of facilities required for quality academic work.

Besides the need to upgrade salaries of staff in accordance with the demand of the moment where there is hike in the cost of transportation, bills ranging from electricity, and other recurrent expenditures have escalated.

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Alonge lamented decrease in student enrollment as experienced in the first week of resumption adding that calls put across to parents showed that they were no longer willing to send their children to the school due largely to cost of transportation.

A parent, Mr Taiwo Hassan who spoke with our correspondent in Osogbo said his children have not been able to resume for the new academic session because he has not been able to find a school with affordable fees and within his locality.

Asked why he didn’t put his children in a fee-free public school, Hassan said there is no public school within his locality adding that if compelled by circumstances to enroll his children in the nearest public school, he would still have to contend with the issue of daily transport fares.

Hassan noted that, to equip a child for a new academic session requires provision of basic needs which he cannot even afford now because according to him, all his income cannot even feed the family considering the cost of food items.

Also speaking, Alhaji Mutiyat Akinola who blamed high cost of school items to a spillover of devalued currency and hike in cost of fuel maintained that only government can intervene in the situation.

According to her, while Nigeria is currently battling with high numbers of out-of-school children, the current economic situation will definitely have effects on children enrolment in schools with dare consequences.

She appealed to government at all levels to find ways by which they can assist parents to be encouraged to enroll their children and wards in school with ease.