Most parents in Nigeria are facing significant challenges as primary and secondary schools officially resume on Monday for the 2025/2026 academic session, with many groaning under the weight of multiple charges and fee increases.

Investigations by Tribune Online have revealed widespread frustration as a result of increments in school fees, the cost of books and uniforms, and other hidden multiple charges payable by parents upon the resumption of their wards.

Findings revealed that most schools have increased their tuition fees by varying percentages — some by 15 to 20 per cent, while others by as much as 35 per cent or more. Many also raised not only tuition but also service charges on uniforms, books, transportation, and extracurricular activities.

Paulina Okede, a seamstress in Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, is a single mother. She told Nigerian Tribune that she has withdrawn her two children from Twins Academy, Mararaba, and is considering enrolling them in a public primary school or keeping them in her shop to learn tailoring.

She explained that her decision followed over 30 per cent increases in school fees and other requirements, which she noted were beyond what she could afford for the two children.

Part of the newsletter from the school informing parents of the fee increase read: “In order to meet up with the increased operational and administrative cost in the wake of the prevailing inflationary trend and for better welfare packages for staff and management to stimulate greater service delivery which will enhance effective teaching and learning, the Management has decided to officially inform our esteemed parents and guardians that after due consideration, we have deemed it fit to increase the school fees to ?45,500 (forty-five thousand, five hundred naira) for the Nursery and Primary section.

“We kindly ask for your understanding and support as these steps are all geared towards providing your children with the best possible learning environment. We all know that salary is paid monthly, while fees come once termly. Thank you once again for your usual cooperation and partnership.”

The section for educational materials also listed the prices of text and exercise books for the 2025/2026 academic session as follows: Activity Class, exercise books only ?5,200; Pre-nursery textbooks and exercise books ?18,500; Nursery 1, textbooks and exercise books ?22,500; Nursery 2, textbooks and exercise books ?26,500; Primary 1, textbooks and exercise books ?40,500 (including dictionary); and Primary 2–5, textbooks and exercise books ?33,500.

Okede disclosed that one of her children has been promoted to Primary 1 and the other to Primary 3. According to her, the books and school fees for the two children amount to well over ?131,500. She added that this was different from other charges, including lesson fees, among others.

Paulina Okede is just one among the many parents struggling to educate their children in Nigeria, in the face of high fees and multiple charges by proprietors of private schools. The dilemma is that public schools, which are supposed to cater for the children of the less privileged, are poorly funded and lack the infrastructure required for quality teaching and learning.

“I do not have such money to pay. The cost of food items is high, so no savings. We manage to eat every day. They will stay with me to learn tailoring. When I gather money, they will continue. I will not be able to meet up with the demands for now,” she said.

Findings revealed that low-income parents are the worst hit, given the prevailing economic hardships in the country, forcing some of them to withdraw their children from schools to send them hawking or begging on the streets to augment family income.

According to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) International Limited in January this year, more than 133 million Nigerians — over 60 per cent of the country’s population — are multi-dimensionally poor, lacking access to basic necessities such as healthcare, education, employment, and adequate living standards.

The World Bank also projected that over 54 per cent of Nigerians were living in poverty by 2024, and that the country has the largest share of the global extreme poor, with “nearly 11.7 per cent of the world’s extremely-poor population residing there by 2025.”

The conditions of many households are exacerbated by rising inflation, escalating interest rates, and the depreciating value of the naira. Findings further revealed that many Nigerians in rural communities can barely afford medication let alone school fees for their children.

In Lagos and other South-West states, students also resumed today (Monday) for the new academic year. But as they resumed, many parents expressed unhappiness. Their frustration centred on the increasing cost of sending their children to school.

They argued that since they are already struggling to feed their families due to the poor economic conditions in the country, increases in school fees, books, and other educational needs represent an additional burden too heavy to carry.

However, many appeared to have resigned to fate, insisting that it is the government, not school owners, that should be blamed for the development, as the government has failed to stabilise the economy.

Some criticized the Federal Government for always being the first to impose increases in service charges. They cited examples such as the hike in fuel pump prices, electricity tariffs, the cost of international passports — which has gone up by 100 per cent — and various taxes and deductions on bank transactions, among others.

The Proprietress of Excellence Wisdom Academy, Kuje, Abuja, Dr. Katherine Awulo, attributed the hike in school fees and other requirements to the inflationary trend in the country, in addition to multiple taxation by the government.

She explained that education is a social service, but owners of institutions must also be able to cover costs.

“What happens in education is shared cost. Running an educational institution is expensive. Think about engaging quality teachers, payment of multiple taxes, provision of power, maintenance of the environment, and the whole lot that is required to remain afloat in the business. What some of us have called for is government subsidy to education in the form of support to private schools,” she stated.

Executive Director of Education Rights Initiative, Dr Solomon Udah, however, called for a ban on the mandatory sale of customised exercise books and textbooks to pupils and students at exorbitant prices by private school owners.

He argued that parents should be at liberty to sew uniforms for their wards, buy exercise books, and purchase recommended textbooks as it was done in the past, stressing that what is happening now is extortion of parents, which the Federal Government must stop.

National President of the League of Muslim School Proprietors (LEAMSP), Mr. Abdulwahid Obalakun, told Nigerian Tribune in an interview at the weekend that the cost of running schools in Nigeria is rising at a galloping rate and that schools have no choice but to increase fees and charges to remain afloat.

He said it is obvious to every Nigerian that the country is in an economic mess, with critical social service sectors such as education most affected.

Obalakun particularly noted that for any private school, especially those with moderate charges, to remain afloat, adjustments in fees and charges are inevitable.

He said that if schools were to increase charges in line with the general market prices of goods and services in the country, most parents would be unable to pay and might withdraw their children.

According to him, the cost of rent, electricity, transportation, food, books, waste collection, water supply, and so forth is very high and unaffordable for most schools.

He added that this is why private schools are folding up, not only in Lagos but across Nigeria, and warned that more would likely close down if the economic situation remains the same by the end of the year.

Obalakun, however, urged the government to take concrete action now to change the narrative and let private schools and other social service providers breathe. (Nigerian Tribune)