NIGERIA PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ,ECONOMIC CRUNCH PARENTS TO WITHDRAW THEIR CHILDREN FROM SCHOOL

PARENTS across Lagos State have resorted to withdrawing their children from private schools in response to the economic challenges the country is currently facing that has resulted in a sharp drop in living standards.

Over the last year, Nigeria's economy has gone from enjoying an average growth rate of 7% per annum to being in recession, as it suffered from negative growth during the first two quarters of 2016. Consequently, many parents have taken the decision to move their children to public schools after they discovered that their income could no longer meet their needs.

Abayomi Otubela, the deputy president of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, said that one of his members in Mushin, Lagos State, had formally complained that parents were withdrawing their children in droves. One mother of three, Mrs Favour Ukpong, whose child attends a private school at the Fagba area of Lagos, said that she had withdrawn her daughter from the school and moved her to a public school.

Mrs Ukpong added: “I just realised that I can’t afford the fees any longer. More so, the proprietors have increased the fees from N18,000 to N25,000.

“How much do I make from the second-hand clothes I sell? I don’t make much. Paying N18,000 had even been a challenge for me, so I took my time to search for a good public school in my area and I am happy with my choice.”

Another parent, Mrs Wemimo Abiodun said her child’s tuition had increased by N10,000, which spurred her decision to withdraw her daughter from a private school at the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos. Banker Steve Aliyu, who said he was a victim of a mass purge in his organisation recently, said he had withdrawn his four year-old daughter from a private to a public school too.

Another school proprietress, Mrs Abimbola Oni, expressed fears that rather than taking their kids to public schools, some parents might decide to keep them at home. Joke Chukwuma, the proprietress of Children International School, Lekki, Lagos State, explained that private school operators were aware of the hard times most parents are going through and had decided to make payment of fees, conducive for them.

However, she added: “We can’t reduce school fees because we don’t want to lower our quality or standard but what we can do is give parents softer payment terms. So, instead of them paying a year in advance, they pay per term and some can even pay on monthly basis.”