18 Abuja parents groan over high school fees

With the resumption of schools for the new session in September, parents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have lamented the exorbitant fees charged by private schools owners. They said the amount charged by most schools, especially nursery and primary schools within the FCT, is unduly high and uncalled for. Some said they were unable to meet up with the payments while others had to withdraw their wards to schools that charge lesser fees.

Some parents, whose wards attend private schools, said that the outrageous fees do not correspond with what children at the nursery/primary stage should be spent on, in terms of providing education.

Checks by Daily Trust revealed that school fees vary based on the location and popularity of the schools within the territory.

A parent, Tosin Niyi, said he paid N126, 000 last session for his son who is less than two in Pre-Nursery section at a school in Gwarinpa. He said the amount covers tuition fees, uniforms and books though the boy joined the school in third term.

He said this year, he paid N86, 000 because the child had to retake pre-nursery class and there was no need for new books and stationeries.

He said a child of less than two years has less to do when it comes to using educational materials. His child was only given books for sketching and painting which he actually plays with.

Niyi, who believes it is one of the moderate and affordable schools around Gwarinpa, said school fees in the FCT are outrageous and most times based on location. He however said the school fees should be regulated and that government should prevail on private school owners to make life easier for parents and guardians.

Another parent who does not want his name mentioned said the fees for nursery/ primary schools within the FCT are outrageous.

He noted that for his two kids, he was paying about N150, 000 aside books, and considering that his salary was not up to what he pays as fees and the teaching nothing different from what other kids were learning, he decided to go in search of a cheaper school.

“I got another school for them where the fees are less. In the new school, I am paying about N60, 000 for the two kids and N25 000 for books and they are doing well,” he said.

He maintained that the kids are doing well and their learning did not in any way depreciate, as he sometimes wants to believe that they are even learning better in the new school.

He said that kids at that stage were only learning natural intelligence and have little to learn from books, adding that the fees is not encouraging at all.

Alhaji Yakubu Musa said the N1.5m and N2.5m charged by some Abuja private schools in Wuse 2 and Maitama were too much.

He said, “The school fees are outrageous. We can’t afford it considering the harsh economic situation of the country.”

Another parent, Adamu Isyaku, who lives in Asokoro, accused some private schools of allegedly making education the right of the rich in the society, saying, “No matter how you try to save from your earnings, you cannot save up to the fees some private schools charge.”

According to him, some private schools in Asokoro charge between N2.3m and N3.2m per session.

“How can a civil servant or petty trader pay such school fees for his children?” he asked.

He appealed to private schools proprietors to make their schools affordable for the benefit of everyone in the society.

Mr Okafor Sunday, a businessman who lives in Gudu area, pays N1.5m for his wards. He said, “Most of these private schools owners are greedy people, that is why they charge high fees. If you advise them to reduce their fees, they will give you flimsy excuses.”

He wants government to sanction private schools that charge outrageous fees.

Mrs Adama Musa, who lives in Apo, pays N2.5m for her child’s school fees and she said it is causing unnecessary competition and making education difficult.

“The private schools are competing among themselves. That is the major reason why the fees are high. They believe that if your fee is low, it classifies your school on a lower grade, which is not true,” she said.

According to her, the only solution is for government to improve public schools to compete favourably with private schools.

Mr Iliya Ogoshi, who lives in Katampe, said it is not only private schools that charge high fees, “Even public schools fees are very high; some public schools in Maitama and Wuse 2 charge between N20,000 and N30,000.”

According to him, contrary to the government’s claim that education is free, some public schools still collect money from parents.

“They will tell you that education is free but if you go to public schools in the FCT, you will discover that they charge money. You will spend huge amount of money before your child is enrolled in public schools,” he lamented.

Mrs Ochigbo pays N16, 500 for her child in a private primary school in Dutse and as the child progresses to the next class, the money increases.

She explained that the school is lenient and gives them opportunity to pay by installments while some children are given scholarships by the school. “If you have three children, one will be offered free education,” she said.

She maintained that her child is doing pretty well because the quality of teaching is good, saying, “My child attended kindergarten in another school, but started primary one here. I see improvement in his work when compared with some of his mates in other schools.”

However, Mr Jalade Adedotun who lives in Maitama and pays N3.2million as school fees for his child insisted that the fees charged by private schools in the area are not costly considering the quality of education they are imparting on the children.

“I will still send my children to such schools if I have the means. To me, education is not expensive at all,” he said.

Most parents, despite groaning over the high fees, still prefer their wards to attend private schools because they believe they are better in terms of management, infrastructure, relatively high standard of education, performance in public examinations and high quality of output.

These according to some school owners are reasons for the increased patronage and proliferation of private schools.

A school proprietor berated people who said private schools are extorting parents, saying most times what they collect as fees are channeled back into giving the students the best and sometimes it’s not even enough going by the taxes they pay to government.

The Executive Director of Nurul Bayan International Academy Abuja, Hajiya Maryam Tahan, said monies generated from the fees by private schools are used to pay salaries and allowances of workers, taxes and rent as well as provide efficient environment.

She said, “First class private schools don’t employ teachers who are drop-outs or secondary school certificate holders. They employ graduates and second degree holders and you need to pay these people well.”

Tahan, who is also the National Vice President, Model Islamic School Association in Nigeria, blamed government for not supporting private schools to achieve the desired goal.

According to her, if government puts a limit on school fees and at the same time supports private schools, it would go a long away in addressing the high cost of education.

Another private school proprietor, Samsom Jude, said the high fees that some parents complain about is insignificant compared to the benefits.

“Education is life and key to success. Therefore parents are expected to use whatever means to sponsor their children to get quality and sustainable education,” he said.

An education administrator, Michael Ojonugwa, said private schools fee is higher in the FCT because the cost of getting a property in Abuja is very high, “so they charge high school fees to meet up with what they have.” He added that the population is also high with more wealthy and educated families that value the education of their kids.