Parents of Unity College students plead with FG to reevaluate fee hike
Story from Maimunat Mohammad
Parents of students attending Unity Colleges in Nigeria are pleading with the Federal Government to reconsider the sudden increase in school fees, in order to maintain accessibility to education for all.
Several concerned parents expressed their worries in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos. The Federal Government had issued a circular to principals of unity schools nationwide, announcing an increase in fees for new students from N45,000 to N100,000.
Mitchelle Uzor, a small business owner, emphasized that such a steep hike in fees would be unaffordable for children of low-income families, given the current economic situation in the country. Unity schools have been a reliable source of quality education for many from modest backgrounds, and this increase comes as a shock and disappointment for parents who have been preparing to enroll their children.
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Funmilayo Olubiyo, a civil servant, also expressed concern over the economic strain this increase would place on families. She urged the government to consider the impact on low-income earners, such as laborers and petty traders, before implementing such policies. She questioned how parents would cope with the escalating fees and whether many children would be denied access to education due to their parents’ inability to afford it.
Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, Deputy National President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, called on the government to reconsider the fee increase as a way to support Nigerian parents. He emphasized the need for government intervention to avoid potential chaos and challenges arising from unaffordable education costs.
Reacting to the concerns, Binta Abdulkadir, Director of the Senior Secondary Education Department, clarified that the fee increase was applicable only to new students in JSS1 for the first term. The breakdown of the fees includes uniforms, books, and other essential requirements. The fees for the second and third terms for students in JSS 1, JSS 2, SS1, and SS2 were stated to be N47,000 for boarding, inclusive. The fees for the third term for SS3 students were N55,000, while JSS 3 students would pay N46,000, inclusive of boarding fees. Additionally, SS3 students were required to pay N117,000 for the first term, inclusive of boarding fees and fees for two final examinations. For the first term, JS3 students were expected to pay N87,000, inclusive of boarding fees and BECE fees.
Despite these clarifications, concerned parents continue to appeal to the government to reconsider the increase in fees and find alternative solutions to support affordable education for all.