As
school children resume from their long vacation, investigations
revealed that parents have commenced withdrawing their children from
private schools to public ones.
School children in Lagos (Photo: Emmanuel Oshodi)
An investigative report conducted by Vanguard
has revealed that Nigerian parents have commenced withdrawing their
children from private schools to public ones, attributing their action
to the harsh economic situation in the country, as school children
resume from the long vacation.
Speaking to correspondents on Tuesday, some parents and school
owners, lamented the bad economic situation, with proprietors stating
that since resumption, their schools have been witnessing a low turnout
of returning pupils.
Mrs Gladys Adewumi, whose three children were in Living Joy Nursery
and Primary School in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, said she withdrew two
of her children from the private school to a public school when it was
apparent her husband could not cope financially.
“I operate a beauty salon and my husband is a plumber and we
have three children in a private school. For about a year now, my
husband has not been able to live up to his financial responsibility to
the family, which led to over N100,000 indebtedness to the school.
“To reduce the financial burden, we agreed to remove two of our
children from the private school to a government school at Elepe. The challenge I may encounter now is the distance between our residence and the school, which is about five miles,” Adewumi said.
School children in Lagos (Photo: Emmanuel Oshodi)
On his part, the proprietor of Gosfat Nursery and Primary School, Agege, Mr. Gosfat, lamented that “the recession has affected every home,” and regretted the heavy toll it has had on his school.
“Most parents have withdrawn their children and wards and taken them to public schools despite the fact that our fees are low.
“Last term, because of the economic situation, I reduced my
school fees by 100 percent. Yet, most parents still find it difficult to
pay.
“The only reason they (parents) are giving me is that there is
no money. We have the same market system. What affects the top, affects
the bottom. This new term alone, I have lost over 20 of my students as a
result of the recession. This has never happened before,” Gosfat said.
School children in Lagos (Photo: Emmanuel Oshodi)
However, the Proprietor of Tob Land Nursery and Primary School,
Agege, disclosed that almost 75% of the parents are unable to pay their
children’s school fees and for stationeries due to the recession. The
school administrator also noted that he could not increase tuition fees
as a result of the country’s ailing economy.
"Right now, parents have withdrawn their children to public
schools. About 15 students from my school have been taken to public
schools. Some parents are even trying to give their children double
promotions and if you do not do that for them, they will take their
wards to other schools,” He said.
Also, the Proprietor of Desoar Nursery and Primary School, Ikorodu,
Mr. Samuel Ojo, who lamented the devastating effects of the recession,
noted that even after the long vacation, many students are yet to
resume.
“Having had the foresight of the austerity, I and my staff had
gone to some parents, encouraging and instilling hope in them. We will
still go back to them again, because I know many are planning to take
their children to public school,” he said.
The situation was similar at Wiseman Generation School, Ikorodu.
The school proprietress, Mrs Peace Omar, said that many students were
yet to resume from vacation, adding that the situation was not
unconnected to the recession.
“I know of a parent who has withdrawn her child to the public
school. As a result of the current economic hardship, we have decided
not to increase school fees, yet parents are not satisfied. The last
time we added N2,000 to the school fees, parents complained,” Mrs Omar said.
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