Parents have lamented school fees hike. The lamentations followed the resumption of 2022/2023 academic session.
According to a The Punch by the Punch, the parents lament that the school resumption has presented a whole lot of financial commitment.
They stressed that they would be faced with new or increased school fees, purchase of new uniforms, shoes, school bags, textbooks, school bus fees, and others.
Sharing her fear, a parent, Mrs Ifeanyi Ajibola, revealed that asides hike in school fees and some unnecessary charges on the bill, the safety of her children while in school, and the new teachers’ ability to be patient and understand her children were her concerns.
She said, “The challenges for me are the school fees and the prices of books have risen drastically.
“My fear for my children is having them been injured, this is a constant fear as my first son sustained a fracture from school before. The issue of teachers not being patient enough with them is also another one because my second son is a slow learner and I pray he does not get into the hands of an irrational teacher.”
Also, another parents, Ms Age Gloria, lamented on transportation, traffic in Lekki where she resides, and the hike in school bus fees.
‘‘My fear is traffic. The high rate of school bus because of hike in fuel and diesel price gives no option than taking the kids to school myself but the traffic on my axis in Lekki is my greatest challenge,’’ she said.
Also, Dr Olabusuyi Ajayi added that any little amount of school fee increment would be a heavy burden on parents with more than a child.
He said, ‘‘It may look small to a parent with a child if the fee is increased by, for instance, N10,000, but look at it from the perspective of a parent with three, four children it will take the grace of God to meet up.’’
An actor, Mr Adebayo Kayode, narrated that the fears of parents as their children leave home for school were multifaceted, saying fees in private schools were getting too exorbitant and unaffordable for parents.
‘‘As a parent, the prices of everything in the market are so high. Insecurity is another challenge, you pray your child goes to school every day and comes back home peacefully.”
The Punch / Edugist
