This is coming on the heels of the resumption of the 2023/2024 academic session billed to begin across states on Monday.
Several states’ commissioners of education, who spoke to our correspondents, stated that enrollments into public schools have drastically increased for the new academic year.
This may not be unconnected to the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy by the President, Bola Tinubu administration, causing the prices of goods and services to skyrocket.
Many private schools were forced to increase school fees to be able to keep up with the operating costs.
Saturday PUNCH reported that the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, said the Federal Government would set up a formal negotiation team between the Parent-Teacher Association and other relevant stakeholders to meet on the recent increase in tuition fees for schools across the country.
In Lagos State, for instance, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr Ganiyu Lawal, told Sunday PUNCH that the ministry had recorded an increase in the transfer applications of students into various public secondary schools across the state compared to what it used to have in previous years.
Although he could not ascertain the number of applications at the moment, he, however, noted that there was a likelihood that it was as a result of the hike in tuition fees in private schools.
Lawal said, “There has been an upsurge in the applications but the figures cannot be given out. The process is still on.”
Speaking further, he noted that the transfer window just closed on August 31, adding that the process of enrolment was still on.
Ekiti
The Chairman, Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof Femi Akinwumi, said the state was witnessing an increase in enrolments into public schools already.
He added that the government was battle-ready for the increase in enrolment and transfers to public primary and secondary schools in the state.
Akinwumi said, “We are already witnessing an increase as parents are already bringing their wards to public schools.
“In fact, in Ikere Ekiti alone, we want to add to the existing primary schools in the town. We are thinking of three or four new primary schools because of the demands.
“There are some newly established schools already in some localities.
“In the junior secondary schools, the information I am getting is that there are a lot of candidates, especially for JSS1 as well as those coming through transfers.
Kwara
In Kwara, pupils’ enrollment into primary and secondary schools in the state has increased tremendously, following the removal of petrol subsidy by the Federal Government, an official of the state Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, told Sunday PUNCH.
The official, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the press on the matter, stated that the ministry noticed an upsurge in pupil enrollment in both primary and secondary schools across the state.
“Though the schools are yet to resume for the new session, I can tell you authoritatively that with the record we have, our school enrolment has increased tremendously because the government operates free education in the state,” the official said.
Katsina
In Katsina, as public schools in the state resume the new academic year, there are indications that many parents in the state may withdraw their pupils from private schools and enrol them into public ones due to a hike in private school fees.
Investigation by one of our correspondents revealed that private schools in the state increased their fees by as much as 50 per cent during the vacation and had consequently informed parents of the development.
Bills for the new school fees sent to some parents by one of the private schools in Katsina showed that the school fees for primary school pupils had been increased to N41,000.00 as against the N30,000 being charged before the fuel subsidy removal.
A father of one of the pupils at a private school in the state, Mallam Ahmad Abdulganiy, said he had met with the school administrator to negotiate part payment of the fees as he could not afford to pay in full.
But, he said he was sent back and told to try to get the money in full.
Abdulganiy said he had decided to withdraw his wards from the private school to a public one so he would meet up with the demands of their education.
Abia
However, the Abia State Government has said it is expecting that many parents and guardians will enrol their wards in public schools in the state following the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
Although the Commissioner for Education, Prof Eme Uche, could not be reached for a comment, the Chief Press Secretary to the state Governor, Kazie Uko, said an increase was expected.
Ogun
A commissioner-designate and immediate past Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, in Ogun State, Prof Abayomi Arigbabu, said he might not be able to say if there had been any significant increase in the enrolment of students linked to parents withdrawing their children from private schools to public ones.
Efforts to however speak with the Chairman of Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Femi Majekodunmi, were not successful as calls put through to his mobile numbers were not answered and text messages were yet to be responded to as of press time.
Gombe
The Information Officer, Gombe State Ministry of Education, Saidu Malala, said the fuel subsidy must have had an impact on school attendance, adding that the statistics unit would clarify the actual number two weeks from school resumption.
Meanwhile, a parent, Mr Dangombe Iliya, said he had withdrawn his children from a private school in Akko Local Government Area, stressing that it was taking a toll on him.
Another parent, Dogo Gombe, said, “I had to contemplate the possibility of withdrawing my children, and I had no better option than to change their school to another private school in the metropolis because of the cost of Keke Napep (Tricycle).”
Borno
PUNCH has gathered that some schools in Borno State may be hit by rampant absenteeism and substantial dropout by pupils due to the persistent hardship suffered by parents following the removal of fuel subsidy.
NAPTAN reacts
The President, National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria, Haruna Danjuma, said the body was aware that following the increment of school fees in most private schools, parents were withdrawing their children from private schools to public schools.
“I am aware of that and it is true that there are social and financial constraints on the parents and when we spoke to some private school owners and proprietors, they also said and explained to us that the increase in fees in some of the schools is as a result of the financial constraints that we are faced with due to the removal of fuel subsidy and it is expected that the increase in cost of transportation, teaching and learning materials, the cost of running the school itself is something that involves money.
“The problem some private schools are making is that they took it upon themselves to increase the fees without consulting the Parent-Teacher Association of their schools. It has come to our knowledge that some secondary schools don’t even have existing Parents and Teachers Association. There is a need to bring together the parents and teachers of the school, with the principal, to discuss the way forward concerning the running of the school and then to find a solution or a way out.
“If the owner of the school or the proprietor had tabled the problems before the PTA concerning the running of the school, it is now the full responsibility of the body to discuss with the management and see the way forward, even if it will lead to an increase in school fees, they will discuss to a reasonable or acceptable fee for both the parents and the management of that school,” he said.
Educationists
A professor of Demography in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof Ogunjuyibge Peter, reacting on the matter, said the increase in school fees will force parents who cannot afford it to withdraw their children from schools which would increase the rate of out-of-school Children.
On his part, a professor of Educational Management at the Ekiti State University, Ekiti State, Joseph Ayodele, said the consequence of the situation would be an increase in the number of enrolments into public schools, adding that the government should ensure adequate facilities are provided in those public schools to complement the available ones.
Another educationist, Dele Olateju, told Sunday PUNCH that it was time for the masses to adjust to the current realities of life as parents’ withdrawal of their children from private to public schools would translate to an opportunity for public schools to improve on their delivery of quality educational services to the masses.
