As primary and secondary schools resume across the country, Nigerian parents and guardians have raised economic and security concerns.
This comes amid the latest fuel price increase, with new bills also awaiting parents for the new academic session.
DAILY POST reports that the President of the Lagos chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, Otunba Yusuf Alaka, said in a recent statement that private school owners should not be blamed for the increase in fees.
“In fact, the increase ought to be higher than that if the cost of living would be taken into consideration in full force. The increase being complained about, that is 40 per cent, is small if we are to go the whole hog,” he said.
However, the Board of Trustees of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, noted that parents were already groaning under the economic burden of paying school fees and purchasing books and other educational materials.
“School owners have increased fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, and many parents are finding it difficult to cope because of the economic situation in the country,” the Chairman of NAPTAN, Deolu Ogunbanjo, had said.
In the same vein, the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, called on parents and guardians not to be discouraged by the economic situation.
“Yes, things are tough. The economic situation is challenging and many people are struggling, but that is not an excuse to withdraw children from school,” the NUT had said in a statement.
On security, DAILY POST reports that the Federal and the state governments said they had beefed up security in schools, noting that security agencies had been mobilised for heightened vigilance, especially around unity colleges and their immediate environments.
The Federal Ministry of Education said the safety and well-being of students and staff remained central to the Federal Government’s commitment to providing a secure and conducive environment for teaching and learning.
But speaking to DAILY POST, some parents lamented the high cost of living, especially the hike in fuel prices, which, by extension, has increased their spending.
A parent, Peter Attah, said it would be quite unfortunate for him to earmark about N10,000 on fuel every day to take his child to school and back home.
“I have decided to save myself needless stress by contracting a tricyclist in my neighbourhood to take my son to and from school. What I will be spending on that monthly is a fraction of what I would have spent on fuelling my car to do so,” he said.
On security, Mr Attah urged his fellow parents, as well as pupils, students, teachers, administrators and other stakeholders, to promptly report any security concerns, unsafe conditions, damaged facilities and health-related issues to the appropriate authorities.
“Every education stakeholder has a role to play as far as the security of our schools is concerned. The security operatives cannot be everywhere. We can help them by being security-conscious and reporting any unusual movements in and around school premises. Parents, pupils, students and teachers all have a role to play,” he said.
Another parent, Ekoja Otache, while speaking on security, urged the Federal Government to construct a perimeter fence around every school in Nigeria, regardless of the location, to protect schoolchildren from any impending attack and kidnapping.
“Before the holiday, there were reported cases of kidnapping of students in some schools across different states of the federation.
“It is, therefore, incumbent on the government to take proactive measures this year by ensuring the deployment of security personnel to schools,” he said.
On her part, another parent, Esther Adigwe, expressed concern over the security arrangements in public boarding secondary schools, especially those located in remote areas of the country.
“The most disturbing thing is the porous nature of the schools; the majority are without perimeter fencing. Schools in the cities might not face the rigour of these security threats.
“How about schools in the rural areas of this country? The government should endeavour to construct fences, employ more security operatives and ensure their adequate welfare. We don’t want to hear that innocent children are being kidnapped in any part of the country,” she said.
Also speaking, Sesugh Tersoo, a parent, stated that privately-owned schools should avoid being too exploitative, stressing that every Nigerian child has the right to quality education.
He said, “We know that the cost of educational materials is high. But charging parents/guardians moderately should be a priority of school owners.
“It is, however, disheartening that some private school proprietors are not considerate but are taking advantage of the situation in the country to inflate their fees.
“How would average Nigerians cope? These school owners should allow the poor to breathe.”
School resumption: Parents lament high fees, rising insecurity