Many parents have come under increasing financial pressure and struggled to bankroll their children’s school resumption expenditure following the worsening economic situation in the country and aftermath of the Christmas spending, writes Gabriel Alonta.
School fees crisis
Payment of children school fees at any level of education remains a critical factor in re-admitting students back to school every new session as well as participating in examination or other academic activities in Nigeria. From nursery, primary, secondary or tertiary levels, school authorities take their fees seriously.
Usually, parents who are saddled with this singular responsibility may default because of one reason or the other. In some cases, the parents have to convince the school management or authorities of the institution so that their wards will not be sent out of the class or in an extreme case, prevented from participating in examinations.
Orient Daily investigations revealed that many undergraduate students have also been caught forging their school fees receipt and pins in recent times. The reason is not far-fetched: they are desperate to clone original receipts to enable them participate in examination with their mates when they could not meet up with their payment. The above trend is often rife after festive periods like the Christmas.
Most parents who are of Christian background, tend to be blown away by the euphoria of the season, leading them to make impulse and extravagant purchases, to the detriment of discharging their primary responsibility of paying their children’s school fees.
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Some parents have also described January as the longest in the calendar, reason being that it is often characterised by a lot of hardship coupled with the sorry state of the economy. There is also the suggestion that such superstition is as a result of the exhaustion of the December salary meant for January expenses, leaving them with nothing.
There is no denying that some parents treat with levity the education of their children leaving behind the timely budgeting and provision of school fees and other levies required by their children’s schools.
Commenting on the period, Prof. Vivian Nwogbo said: “The period of going back to school is filled with mixed feelings because you are happy that students are going back to school on one hand and on the other hand, you feel the burden of payment of school fees, projects, provisions, levy and so on.
“It is like starting everything afresh because it is a new term after the Christmas, to which a lot of expenses has been made. Some parents also pay for house rents during this period which compound their headache.
“In some cases too, parents are also happy that their children are going back to school because the era of scattering/loitering the house will be over and the parents can then sleep better”.
On whether parents put their children’s school fees on the agenda during the Christmas period, the expert in educational management and policy said, “I do, and I think most parents do too. The euphoria of the season tends to blow some undisciplined parents away and they have problems when the season is over when they are left to face their responsibilities”.
Nwogbo further opined that it is justifiable that school administrators take disciplinary action against parents who failed in the responsibility of taking care of their children’s school fees, noting that consideration should be given in some exceptional cases.
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“Parents should manage and not exceed their level of expenditure. Showing their child the exit door may sometimes be the best language that the parents hear in order that they do the needful”, she stated.
On her part, a mother of one, Mrs. Chidiebere Obi, disclosed that her grade 3 daughter pays N48,000 as school fees, noting that the current economic situation is becoming unbearable.
“My child is in grade 3 which is equivalent to primary 3. They used to pay N43,000 but at the end of their last term, a letter was given to all parents notifying us of increase to N48,000. If it becomes difficult for me to cope, I may pull off my daughter because I have to cut my coat according to my cloth.
“I am aware of my daughter’s school fees and will pay accordingly. If a parent cannot pay or take care of their primary responsibility of giving their child good education, they should withdraw them. Often, we don’t consider what the students pay, but what is imparted in the child”, she said.
Mrs. Obianuju Umeh, was of the view that parents should always have in mind the payment of their children’s school fees, adding that the present recession should not be a hindrance since they were informed by the school authority.
Umeh, a mother of two, said parents should always ensure that they put it into consideration by minimising their expenditure and treating first things first.
She revealed that her daughter’s school informed them of the term’s curriculum and when the school fees is expected to be paid, calling other schools to borrow a leaf by prior informing parents or risk otherwise. Also speaking, a final year student of Geology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Raphael Okafor, explained that the situation of the country is giving students serious concern to worry, saying that he has been grossly affected.
Okafor, who said that rumours are rife of an increase in school fees, noted that despite the fuel hike that has affected virtually everything in the market, his pocket money never increased but remained what it was.
“As a student, I am faced with some challenges in this period of hardship. I hope that my parents pay my school fees on time so that I can participate in the examination, as it is the prerequisite.
“The present fuel hike, affected the provisions, transportation to school, and my present pocket money did not change either, meaning that I have to tactically spend. As students, we do a lot of photocopies, that has also drastically increased. How are we going to cope? he queried.
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Maintaining that some lecturers skip lectures because of fuel hike, he called on the government to urgently attend to these economic issues, noting that Nigerians should not be spending much on crude oil she is famed for.
In his view, the Manager, Archbishop Obiefuna Daycare, Nursery and Primary School, Rev. Fr. Kilian Chukwudozie Ike, said that the issue of parents paying their children’s school fees was not negotiable, stressing that it was needed for effective management and administration of the school.
Rev. Fr. Ike urged parents to bridle their excesses by imbibing sacrifice, discipline and self-control in terms of spending, adding that the present economic situation was a blessing in disguise.
Tasking parents live up to their responsibilities and expectations, the manager enjoined them to give the education of their children top priority in their scale of preference/needs.
Corroborating, the Director of Information and Public Relations, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State, Mr. Chigozie Ntomchukwu, averred that the essence of paying school fees was to standardise the system, adding that a good student who was keen on knowledge ought to have reminded the parents of their school fees.
Ntomchukwu explained that the institution’s position on failure to pay school fees was to stop the student from taking the school examinations, saying that with the payments, the workers and teachers would be timely remunerated for effective performance. “If the teachers have taught and you fail to play your own role, do you want to starve them? In a period of recession and hardship, one should not stick to wealthy and flamboyant lifestyle, but has to tread with some caution”, he opined.
On her part, an administrator and the Proprietress, Early Dew Montessori Academy, Trans Ekulu, Enugu, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Okonkwo, expressed satisfaction that parents were turning up in paying school fees, noting that this period of economic hardship never affected the school.
“I don’t think that the hardship and recession is affecting parents because they value their children’s education. There is high turn up here, only few pupils owed school fees last term”, she said.
The debate may go on and on. But while some people blame government at various levels for the present economic predicament, others attribute it to lack of planning and extravagant spending.
Wherever the solution lies, there is an urgent need to fix the Nigerian economy for good. All hands must be on desk towards revamping the Nigerian state.
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