As academic session resumes for the new school year begins across Nigeria for the 2025/2026, many parents are struggling with the overwhelming demands.
The schools resumption has brought fresh waves of anxiety and frustration for many parents and guardians across the country.
The reality of rising tuition fees, costly textbooks, uniforms, and other essentials that must be provided is a grave concern for parents and guardians.
This comes amid rising cost of living crisis across the country, with most of the citizens struggling to feed.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), inflation reached 21.88 percent in July 2025, making it increasingly hard for parents to cover basic household needs, let alone rising educational expenses.
Speaking to the media, some parents who enrolled their children in private schools, said the burden of school fees increment was getting out of hand, while some have left their children at the mercy of poor facilities in public schools.
Some public primary and secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs showed that pupils and students are suffering from poor infrastructure, with frustrated teachers being in charge.
A single mother, simply identified as Ngozi Okoro, said she was once proud of enrolling her two children in a reputable private school. However, she struggles to maintain that standard presently.
According to her, petty trading and occasional support from relatives had sustained her for years, but a sudden 30 percent hike in school fees last session forced her to reconsider her decision.
“I tried everything I could; I worked extra hours, borrowing from friends but it was never enough. I had to choose between feeding my children and paying their school fees,” Okoro said with palpable pain.
She, however, disclosed that she is now making arrangements to transfer her children to a cheaper school this session to ease the burden.
Another parent who is a father of four children, Abuh Ameh, recounted his own ordeal, saying the period always reminds him about fees.
“Every term, the school sends a reminder about fees. I feel ashamed when I cannot pay on time.
“Sometimes, my children are sent home, and they cry because they do not want to miss classes. I don’t know what to do this session,” he lamented.
In extreme cases, parents are turning to unconventional means to sustain their children’s education.
Also, a growing number of families have resorted to crowdfunding on social media to solicit assistance, while others are forced to sell personal belongings to cover tuition and other learning materials.
A widower with three children, Nuhu Ahmed, said that he had to part with valuable possessions to ensure his children’s return to school.
“I sold some of the things I cherished most, just so I could pay their fees and buy the books they needed,” he said.
An education expert, Michael Akor noted that the if the struggles are unchecked, it could further exacerbate Nigeria’s already troubling education statistics.
According to Akor, the country currently has more than 17 million out-of-school children, one of the highest figures globally, adding that this threatens human capital development and the country’s long-term workforce capacity.
“Education is supposed to be a ladder out of poverty, but when it becomes unaffordable, it pushes families deeper into the same poverty cycle,” he said.
