Parents in Enugu metropolis have raised concerns over what they described as unbearable increases in tuition fees and levies charged by most private and faith-based schools in the state.
According to reports gathered by the News Agency of Nigeria, many private and faith-based nursery, primary, and secondary schools in Enugu increased their tuition fees and levies by 20 to 50 per cent compared to the last academic session.
This development has further strained households already struggling with the rising cost of living.
Parents express frustration
A parent, Mr John Ude, said the hike had placed additional financial burden on families.
“I was surprised to hear from my children’s school principal that the school fees of my daughter in junior secondary 2 is now N150,000 as against N100,000 we paid last year.
“I tried to ask what the reason for the increment was and the principal said that it was the directive from the proprietor and that he does not have much explanation on the matter,” he said.
He called on government to step in and check what he described as arbitrary hikes in private schools.
A housewife, Mrs Ngozi, shared similar concerns, stating that a popular faith-based school in Amechi had raised its fees beyond the reach of average parents.
“According to her, last term, we paid N85,000 per child for my three children, but this new session the school said that the fees is now N120,000 per child.
“Government should intervene and regulate these charges because education is supposed to be social service and not profit oriented venture which most school owners are turning it into,” she said.
For some parents, the decision has been to withdraw their children from private schools. A civil servant, Mrs Juliet Ugwu, explained her choice:
“The school my children attend raised their fees to N150,000 per term as against N95,000 we paid last term, I cannot cope with that considering my take home salary.”
School owners defend fee increases
On their part, private and faith-based school owners defended the increments, citing Nigeria’s prevailing economic realities as the reason behind the hikes.
Mr Emeka Mbah, a school proprietor, said the adjustments were necessary to keep schools running.
“We understand the concerns of some parents, but schools are also grappling with the same economic pressures.
“We cannot deliver quality education if we do not have competent teaching staff members and the right instructional materials,” he said.
Another proprietor, Mr Chris Agbo, argued that private schools continue to bridge gaps left in public education without any government support.
“In spite the increments, private schools still bear heavy burden in bridging the gap created in educational services by government and yet do not receive subvention for government,” he said.
Agbo added that many private school owners are “running at a loss” due to the capital-intensive nature of managing educational institutions, insisting that without fee adjustments most schools would collapse.
What you should know
The tuition hikes in Enugu reflect broader inflationary pressures in Nigeria, where rising costs of goods, utilities, and salaries are affecting both households and businesses. Private and faith-based schools argue they are compelled to increase fees to maintain standards, while parents demand government regulation to make education more affordable.
Last year, Enugu State Government had approved a tax or licensing-fee regime for privately owned schools whereby new and existing private schools in the state are required to either register for provisional approval or have their licences renewed. The fee is set between N100,000 and N300,000, depending on the category of the school.
There were reports circulating that the government was imposing a much higher mandatory payment of up to N5 million per private school. Enugu’s Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze, however, rejected those figures, clarifying that the N5 million claim was false.
Private school owners, however, say what is being charged in practice is much higher. They claim that depending on school size and level, fees for renewals or licenses now run between N450,000 and N2.2 million.
