School Fees: What Nigerian Parents Are Doing To Survive, Cope With High Transportation

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By Obehi Asein

The economic downturn in Nigeria has left many families reeling, with parents facing impossible choices to ensure their children’s education. In a heart-wrenching interview with our correspondent,  four Nigerian parents shared their struggles to pay school fees, revealing the harsh realities of living in a country where inflation and unemployment are rampant.

A parent living in Ikeja, Lagos, who requested anonymity, tearfully recounted how they had to transfer their children from a private to a public school due to unaffordable fees.

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Recounting the family’s ordeal to FTN, she said, “It broke my heart to take them out of a school they loved, where they had made friends and were thriving. But we couldn’t afford the fees anymore, and we had to prioritise their education over the prestige of a private school.”

Another Parent in Ogba, Lagos,  who also pleaded anonymity, explained the arduous process of weighing the cost of school bus fees against picking and dropping their kids off themselves.

“It’s a hassle, but it’s a sacrifice we have to make. I wake up early every day to take them to school and pick them up later.

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“It’s exhausting, but I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure they get an education,” she further told our correspondent.

Another parent who simply identified himself as Kayode, said the family has had to make difficult decisions about which essential costs to cut back on. “We can’t afford textbooks, so we have to find alternative resources,” he said.

To make up for the cost of buying books, he has resorted to photocopying other pupils’ notes which isn’t cheap either but better than buying books.

“I spend hours photocopying notes from classmates or downloading free resources online. It’s not ideal, but we’re doing what we can. We’ve also had to reduce our food expenses, cutting back on meat and other luxuries, to allocate more funds towards school fees.”

While speaking with FTN, Mrs Folorunso, another parent whoso child is attending a private school in Isheri, Lagos,  shared the desperation the family felt when faced with the possibility of withdrawing their child from school due to unpaid fees.

“I had to sell our generator, which we relied on for power during outages, to raise funds for school fees. It was a stressful time, but we managed to raise enough. It’s not a sustainable solution, but we’re doing what we can to keep our child in school,” she stated.