EXCLUSIVE: Tough Times For Parents As Schools Resume For First Term In Osun

• Sodiq Lawal

As primary and secondary schools across Osun State resume for the first term of the 2023/2024 academic session on September 18, 2023, parents and guardians in the state have continued to lament over the astronomical rise in school fees and other fees payable in schools.

The fees hike is coming at a time when the country is battling with harsh economic situation precipitated mainly by the fuel subsidy removal.

From a pump price of N195/litre which was in use in the last academic year to N615/litre, the citizenry and indeed parents findings revealed are struggling to survive the shockwave of the fuel price hike.

The subsidy removal has had spill over effect on the economy as prices of many goods and services have gone out of hand.

It was gathered that while many parents and guardians lament the high cost of school materials like textbooks, exercise books, school uniforms, bags and other materials, there is also excruciating cost of transportation.

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It was revealed that while there is no significant increase in fees at public schools, that of private schools have skyrocketted.

Our investigation also revealed that many parents and guardians are currently withdrawing their parents and wards from private to public schools due to the increase in school fees and instructional materials.

Some parents in the state have called on the government to provide more alternative strategies to cushion the effects of the economic situation, for them to manage the rising cost of education.

They made the call in separate interviews with OSUN DEFENDER on Monday.

The parents said that the economic situation in the country had led to an increase in school fees, uniforms, books and other educational items, impacting the level of preparation for their children’s resumption.

Mrs Lamidi Temitope, a businesswoman in Ile Ife, said the situation had driven her to take a loan to buy textbooks and pay the school fees, in order to meet up with the resumption date.

“The school has increased their fees, and to buy textbooks these days is something else. The ones I bought for N1,500 last year are now N2,500.

“It has not been easy. The ones I can afford, I’ll buy for them and if I can’t, they will manage the ones they have.

“Changing school now would not be easy, because that would attract more school fees and you don’t know the kind of school you are going to put them in,” she said.

Mrs Funmilayo Babalola, another parent, said she had to forfeit traveling to the village for the yearly August meeting, to save money to pay for school fees, and change her daughters’ uniform, bags, and books.

“I have three children in school and the fees of that school are so high that, when I collected their pay slip, I noticed an increase of more than ₦20,000.

“Also, their transport fare was ₦45,000 last session and now it’s ₦70,000. I don’t even know how I’ll take them to school this term and bring them back home because the transport fare is too high,” she said.

Olamide Oluwaseyi, on her part, said she was in a tight corner as the economic situation had affected everything from school fees to feeding and transport.

“As parents, we make a lot of sacrifices, by cutting down on most of our expenses.

“For instance, women, in particular, we like parties and want to have one or two new clothes, bags, and shoes to put in our wardrobes.

“But now, we have to drop them and focus on the children because they are the reason why we are fighting and struggling, so their own needs always come first,” she said.

She urged school owners to consider receiving payment in installments to reduce the financial burden on parents.