2023 academic session is set to commence. There is unrest in private schools especially those on pre and primary school strata. As parents contest the new school fees, school owners (faced with the hike in running cost and inflation in the market) are faced with a sole option of increasing same. How do we set the right course towards this? How do school owners handle this change in circumstance without bringing ranchor or dropping spirit among their parents?
Undoubtedly, the present hardship and unsettled economy in Nigeria is taking a toll on everybody, parents and school owners inclusive and this is capable of fuelling a disquiet relationship between both parties.
The reality is, if the income of parents does not increase and school fees increase, it will be frustrating for parents to adjust to the increment. On the other hand, if increase in the prices of school supplies like textbooks, stationeries, furniture, instructional materials, play gadgets and other numerous running cost continues, school owners will have no choice than to increase the fees.
It is pertinent to note that it is not the fees that are expensive but the cost of education because there are value chains that contribute to the rise of this cost. The continous depreciation of naira is a major factor here. The cost of production of educational materials, the hike in fuel price, transportation etc keep rising for this purpose. Teachers who are also faced with the struggle to maintain a stable life find it difficult to cope in this situation. So, they yearn for increment too as they pay more on transportation and other cost of living as well.
We all bear the effect of inflation. The greatest challenge is that this increase come in geometric progression and becomes very difficult to manage. The cost of an item today increases tremendously in two weeks and keeps increasing by the day. Not only that, some schools already bear some administrative burdens in order to bridge the gap and make payment easier for parents. Schools like RoyalQuest Schools which I administer do periodic and compulsory renumeration review and teachers expect increment in salaries and allowances. We also do fee reduction policies like siblings half tuition payment, part scholarship for outstanding pupils, etc. These are additional accessorised cost to be considered.
How do we resolve this dilemma? How do we make education affordable for parents and still maintain the standard of education in private schools? Do we allow parents to move their wards to schools that are more affordable, maybe to public schools? Would parents rather prioritise their expenses and be more prudent on other expenses they make in order to absorb the school fees increment?
The truth remains that private schools in Nigeria are exclusively funded by owners and funds generated are used to run the schools. If schools do not increase fees, they will fold up due to lack of finance to keep them running. Furthermore, school fees cannot be stable when other products and services are not stable due to economic instability. Remember, there are other enforced bills on school owners by government and their subsidiaries. Bills like business premises tax, land use charge, radio and television tax, fumigation tax, proprietors tax and other dues both the legal and illegal ones.
That being stated, in my suggestion, fees should not be indiscriminately increased. It should be gradually effected and considerably implemented. Basic fees like tuition fees may remain the same for one or two sessions ( depending on the school) while other fees should increase in line with market increase. School owners should not misinterprete this situation narrowly in a manner devoid of fairness by getting preoccupied with how to maximise profit without fair consideration of the outcome on parents.
The shocking phenomenon of declining standard of education in Nigeria and the effect of private schools to take the edge off in this regard is worthy of appraisal. Education must be the first financial plan of every family and NEVER be compromised. It is the right of our children and the bedrock of development. The future we pray for and envisage largely lies in the hands of good education and for this reason, we are not giving up on putting the best effort towards achieving this.
In conclusion, I would say that parents are bound to validate as true that school fees cannot remain the same as it is reasonable to do so. They need to adjust to the shift in circumstance and give their wards the best education they can. Instead of owing school fees or withdrawing thier wards to a lower standard school, prudence in other aspects of living cost should be applied to achieve a balance rather than compromising education. I also appeal to school owners not to take advantage of the ugly situation but to apply the fairest fees to alleviate this burden from parents. Most importantly, I appeal to government, in the absence of giving financial aid to schools, to create enabling environment for a stable economy that will make education affordable as it is across the world.
Thank you.
Mrs Amara Ann Unachukwu
Proprietress, RoyalQuest Schools.
RoyalQuest Schools
www.royalquestschools.com
