Some parents in Bauchi State have expressed concern over increases in tuition fees as primary and secondary schools reopened after the long holiday.
The parents said the rising fees could force some children to drop out of school as many families struggle to meet the cost of education amid the current economic situation.
Mrs Augustina Ofelo, a parent and trader at Yelwa Market, said her son’s tuition increased from N25,000 to N35,000.
She said the increase had put pressure on her pap business, which she relied on to support her family.
“Before, I paid the school fees by instalment, but now I have to struggle harder to pay in three instalments so that the school does not send my son home,” she said.
Another parent, Mr Haruna Umar, who operates a hired tricycle, popularly known as Keke, said the increase in his daughter’s school fees was a major concern.
Umar said he paid N8,000 daily to hire the tricycle and spent about N10,000 on fuel, leaving him with earnings of about N18,000 to N20,000, which he said could barely meet his family’s needs and school expenses.
He said he had decided to keep his daughter at home and enrol her only for lessons until his financial situation improved.
Mrs Salina Ali, a widow, said her son’s school informed her through a text message of a N10,000 increase in his fees.
She said she now had to pay N45,000 instead of the initial N35,000, adding that her N150,000 salary was no longer sufficient to cater for her children amid the rising cost of living.
Ali appealed to the government to support parents by improving salaries and reducing petrol prices.
“The high cost of fuel is a major factor contributing to the rising costs of goods and services,” she said.
Mr Yohana Zaka, another parent, said he could no longer afford to provide snacks and juice for his children to take to school because he had been forced to cut down on several expenses.
Zaka called for urgent government intervention to enable parents provide quality education for their children and wards.
