By Sarah NEGEDU
Parents in the Federal Capital Territory are counting in pennies as a new school session commences on Monday, September 8, 2025 across the nation’s capital.
However, those in boarding schools resumed on Sunday, September 7, 2025 with our correspondent reporting that students’ and their parents could be seen returning en-masse.
The resumption is coming at a time of dire economic straits with most parents complaining of the increment in fees and other charges by the schools.
“I have two of my children in school. One is a new student and the other into JSS 3 which is an external exams class with increment in fees,” a parent lamented.
According to the parent at a school in Asokoro, no time was ever easy, but things were more difficult than ever before.
“Quality education is expensive and it seems it is costlier by the day and I wonder how we will continue like this,” the parent who asked not to be named complained.
The situation has not been helped by rising inflation and the high cost of living.
Another parent said there was a 30 percent increment in his child’s tuition, including high cost of books, uniforms, and other school-related expenses.
“I paid N6, 000 for just a work book and social studies text book. Other books too are nowhere cheaper. I wonder why students in JSS will be offering over 12 subjects with attendant cost implications for parents,” Mr. Osagie told this newspaper in Apo.
A single mother, Nana Aliyu, lamented that she had to withdraw her son from a reputable private school due to the exorbitant cost.
However, when the school suddenly raised its fees by over 30 per cent last session, the pressure became unbearable.
“I tried everything I could—working extra hours, borrowing from friends—but it was never enough. I had to choose between feeding my children and paying their school fees,” she explained, adding that she has already started arrangements to transfer her children to a cheaper school this session.
Some parents have resorted to take loans from loan sharks with their high interest rates and underhand tactics.
“We have cut cost on many essentials to ensure our children remain in school,” a father said with a grim face in Garki at a high flying school.
According to him, the situation needs to be remedied fast and commended state governments that have acted on reusable text books and work books.
The Plateau State House of Assembly had ordered stoppage of compulsory yearly purchase of textbooks imposed on parents by schools.
The assembly lamented the practise of compelling parents to buy new textbooks every academic session, describing it as exploitative and unfair.
The assembly said the decision is part of measures to reduce the untold hardship faced by families, insisting that books can be re-circulated among pupils, including siblings.
Statistics indicate that Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world, with 17 million children not in school.
Stakeholders say this poses a serious threat to the country’s human capital development and future workforce.
