Parents lament increase in school fees

As schools in Ibadan resume for the second term on Monday, some parents have lamented the increase in the school fees of their wards by some private schools.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the respondents, in separate interviews on Sunday, accused the affected schools of not taking the economic situation of the country into consideration.

A mother of three, Mrs Olawumi Johnson, said that the increment in her children’s fees made her husband irritable.

“The increase is not favourable, considering the hard time people are going through in the country today,” she said.

Mrs Deborah Adefusi said that although the increase in the fees of her children was not up to N10,000, the present situation in the country was unfriendly.

“We need the economy to be thriving so that life will become more comfortable for us,” Adefusi said.

Also, Mr Sanmi Olatunde lamented the hike in his children’s school fees, adding that most schools were acting oblivious of the country’s present economic reality.

“Schools need to take it easy on parents and ensure that school fees are affordable, considering the times we are in.

“We all are feeling the heat of the moment; so schools should have a rethink, if they don’t want more students and pupils to owe them and then the debt keeps pilling up,” Olatunde said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) in Oyo State, Dr Mary Odedare, said that determining whether school fees should be increased or not was not within the purview of the association.

“But by and large, looking at the whole situation holistically, we are of the opinion that if anything is going to be increased, it should not be now.

“We all know the high inflation rate and we are all operating in the same economy. It is a global crisis and not limited to Nigeria and Oyo State,” she said.