Petrol price increase: Nigerian parents bemoan additional hardship as schools resume

Some Nigerian parents have complained about the weight of a harsh economy, citing rising tuition, transport and basic goods costs that have put a strain on household budgets as primary and secondary schools in Nigeria return for the 2024/2025 academic year after a long break.

The resumption of schools comes when Nigerians are dealing with the hard realities of an economy hit by the loss of fuel subsidies and the recent increase in petrol prices from N617 per litre to N897.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) increased the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from its previous cost of between N568 and N617 per litre to between N855-N897 per litre. This development was effective from September 3, 2024.

The astounding inflation rate, which has resulted in increased living costs, has almost completely depleted most parents’ savings.

The findings revealed an increase in school fees by private schools due to the high cost of running these schools, which includes salary payments, multiple taxation by federal, state, and local governments, and the high cost of diesel to power generators, creating a perfect storm of financial hardship for every Nigerian family with a school-age child.

Some parents expressed concern about the rise in private school and book fees, while others asked how they would get their children to school with the increase in transportation charges caused by the removal of the fuel subsidy.

Mr. Anthony Gabriel, a civil servant lamented the hike in tuition fees, saying that he will be paying N70,000 instead of N50,000 for his son, who is entering SS2, due to the increase in school fees.

Mr Gabriel said he does not find it amusing but has no option as the children must go to school, adding that he doesn’t blame school owners because the removal of the fuel subsidy has affected everything.

He called on the government to come to the aid of parents, especially civil servants, and increase their salaries so they can meet their financial challenges.

“It is not easy, especially for those of us who are civil servants, because they are not adding anything to our salaries, unlike people in the market who can easily increase prices of their products and services to make more profit.”

In the same vein, a mother of three and a trader, Mrs Nkechi Njoku, said she received notice from her daughter’s boarding school that they had increased the school fees from N65,000 to N90,500. She added that she has no other option but to withdraw her daughter from the school and find a cheaper one that can still provide the best education.

“I am not ready to have high blood pressure because of the increase in school fees. The cost of virtually everything has skyrocketed. If I should leave my daughter in that school and pay the fees, that means we would have no food to eat again,” Mrs Njoku stated.

A school proprietor, who did not want his name mentioned, in the Mararaba area of Nasarawa State, an outskirt of the Federal Capital Territory, said the increase in school fees was due to the rising cost of things across the country.

He said the removal of subsidies led to a sudden hike in the price of petrol, which has affected the costs of things across the country, such as energy, transportation, food items, and other goods and services.

The proprietor called on the government to do the needful by handing out the palliatives earlier promised when the petrol subsidy was removed to mitigate the present sufferings of the people.

“The fuel subsidy removal has caused very terrible hardship for the people, but we will not increase school fees again.

“Government should be realistic and a bit sincere in making palliatives available for the masses. As the saying goes, where two elephants fight, the grass suffers. Every hardship in the country is felt mostly by parents who must provide at least the necessities for their children, and education is one of those basic needs,” he said.

A fashion designer, Mr Ekpeyong Etim, observed that apart from the increase in school fees, many school-related expenses have also increased, such as textbooks and school bus fees.

According to him, the school bus fare was N40,000 before but has now increased to N60,000, as have textbooks. He added that he is making every effort to give his children the best education despite the increase in school fees.

Mr Funmi Godswill, a commercial motorcyclist, said he is planning to change schools for his children because of the hike in school fees. He lamented that people no longer patronize motorcycle services as they used to, causing riders to spend the same amount on fuel unnecessarily.

“We no longer make as much gain as we did before,” he said.

Another parent, Abubakar Lawal, said his son’s school fees for Primary 4 increased from N45,000 to N61,500, adding that it is unfortunate that everything has increased in price while his salary remains the same as a federal government worker.

He appealed to the federal government to consider increasing the minimum wage because there is nothing left to take home from his current salary due to the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.

“Imagine, salary remains the same, but the price of everything has gone up. How are we going to survive in this?” he asked.

On her part, Hajia Mariam Abdullahi said although the school fees were not increased, the transportation fare has doubled.

She lamented that the fees for the school bus were N5,000 before the end of the last session but have now increased to N10,000. She appealed for a palliative measure from the government to address transportation costs, as food has been sorted out.

Mr Ngbede Edache, a banker, said that last year’s increase in school-related expenses has continued this year, worsening the situation.

“Last year, we experienced an increase in school fees; transportation to schools almost doubled. Now, we are also faced with the same challenge.

“The recent increase in the price of petrol will impact transportation, and just like everything else, it is a ripple effect. It is going to affect food prices, tuition fees—everything will go up,” he said.

Mercy Nana, a mother of two, decried the high cost of preparing her children for school, noting that the cost of school fees and transportation had surged, making it harder for parents to cope.

“Things are very hard. My children are going to resume school next week, and I cannot boast of getting everything they need.

“The bus fare is now very high. We are hoping that the price of things will come down. If not, it is going to affect school resumption because everything has tripled. We are praying and hoping that things will get better,” she said.