Back to School Blues

With the fanfare of the Yuletide and New Year celebrations now firmly in our rearview, parents and guardians are now faced with the jolting reality of a new school term. Private and public schools nationwide are resuming from the holiday break but the truth that lies underneath is one for deep concern.

As Nigeria’s economic challenges linger and with ever rising inflation cost, basic education now seems to be more of a luxury than a fundamental right of the child. Teeming numbers of parents can no longer afford the rising cost of education even in public schools.

Recently, parents protested the fee hike at Model Colleges in Lagos as fees increased by more than 100% from N35,000 to N100,000 causing a massive outcry for the state government’s intervention. Unfortunately, such steep hikes have become a common occurrence in most states across the country with school management complaining about the rising administrative and operational costs. 

Rural areas have been hit worse as some parents are forced to pull their children from school. Families in the villages and slum areas now choose between their number of kids which ones they can afford to put through school. This is a rising trend that must be tackled as there are already over 18 million out of school kids in the country. For those in private schools, it has become a full-blown menace with school proprietors taking advantage of the economic situation to perpetuate daylight robbery on helpless parents whose only desire is to offer their kids quality education.

If this alarming situation persists, the government might be forced to declare a state of emergency in the education sector. The recent fiscal budget for 2025 does not inspire much hope for the masses with the paltry 7% (falling way behind The UNESCO benchmark of 15-20%) allocated to education, it doesn’t seem like the current administration is abreast of the true state of things and the dire need for drastic reformative measures in the sector.

Till the economic whirlwind subsides, there is need for hefty educational subsidies in government owned schools even as state governments must ensure they deliver free basic education to curb the rising number of out-of-school kids especially in the rural communities. At the private level, the government must create oversight over private owned schools to ensure fairness and best practices are upheld across board.

Beyond subsidies and freebies, the purchasing power of the average parent/guardian has to be strengthened to enable them automatically be in a position to adequately provide for their children/ward educational needs.

The dream of an economical buoyant nation lies squarely at the academic development of the future of our nation. With this in mind, every stakeholder in the educational sector must arise to the current challenges in a bid to not only avoid an impending crisis but also secure our productive future by doing so.