School Resumption: Parents Face 40% Fee Hike, Higher Transport Costs

Parents across Nigeria are returning to another school term under heavier financial pressure, as private schools raise tuition fees by as much as 40 per cent amid rising operating costs.

Checks by Vanguard showed that most private primary and secondary schools have increased their fees by between 30 and 40 per cent as schools reopen nationwide today.

The burden is not limited to private schools. In Lagos State, parents and guardians with children in public schools who are not formally employed and cannot obtain tax clearance certificates will now pay N20,100 in levy, compared with N10,100 previously.

A private secondary school in Ipaja, Lagos, increased its tuition from N86,000 to N124,000 per term, while another school in Egbeda raised its fee from N250,000 to N320,000.

Similar increases in school fees and other obligations have been reported in different parts of the country.

Rising fuel costs threaten school transportation

The increase in petrol prices is creating another headache for parents and school proprietors, with some schools reviewing or abandoning their bus services.

The latest fuel price increase came just days after schools had sent bills to parents in July. Some proprietors are now considering issuing additional bills to cover the higher cost of running their transport systems.

For parents, this could mean turning to private transporters, tricyclists and cyclists for their children’s daily school runs.

John Aderiye, a parent, said spending about N10,000 on fuel simply to take his child to school and return home was no longer financially sensible.

“I have decided to save my self needless stress by contracting a tricyclist in my neighbourhood to take my son to and from school. What I will be spending on that monthly is a fragment of what I would have spent on fuelling my car to do so,” he stated.

In Alagbado, Lagos, one school owner has already scrapped its school bus operation altogether.

Parents are now required to transport their children themselves or place them in the hostel. The decision was reportedly driven by the increasing cost of maintaining school buses and buying fuel.

NAPPS: School owners also under pressure

Otunba Yusuf Alaka, President of the Lagos Chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, defended the fee increases, saying school owners were dealing with rapidly rising operating expenses.

“In fact, the increase ought to be higher than that if the cost of living would be taken into consideration in full force. The increase being complained about, that is 40 per cent, is small if we are to go the whole hog.

‘’But we are considerate too and moreover, many of our members have hundreds of millions of naira yet to be paid by parents. Do you know that some parents will owe fees here and take their children to another school the following term.

“If you look at a school and you see say 300 students, ask the owner how many students have fully paid their fees at the end of the term. That is apart from the operational cost that keeps increasing daily. We also have different levies and taxes to pay various tiers of government.

“People don’t seem to understand what we go though running our schools. People are running away from the teaching profession and to get people to take up the job, you have to pay them well. In some parts of Lagos now, you can’t pay a teacher less than N150,000 monthly. If you have your own permanent site for a school, have you considered the cost of renting a place?!

‘’We understand the situation and we are not too shylock in our thinking and action. Let the people understand what we are going through too,” he said.

Parents plead for lower fees

Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, said parents were already struggling to meet the rising cost of educating their children.

“School owners have increased fees by between 30 and 40 per cent and many parents are finding it difficult to cope because of the economic situation in the country.

‘’What the proprietors are saying is that operational cost has increased. They cite the cost of maintenance of facilities, even classrooms, where if they have any repair to do, is expensive.

“Yes, we all know what the situation is nationwide, but we plead with them to reduce their fees. It should not be more than 20 per cent increase. Most of the parents and guardians that are going to pay don’t enjoy salary or income increment, most are not civil servants and even what is the level of the salary increment that civil servants enjoy.

‘’We are just pleading with them to make things easy. For parents, I pray that God blesses their pockets to be able to live up to their responsibilities. However, I would advise that they don’t go beyond their capacities. Private schools have levels, you don’t have to put your children in the very expensive ones,” he opined.

NUT: Don’t withdraw children from school

The Chairman of the Lagos Council of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Hassan Akintoye, urged parents not to allow financial hardship derail their children’s education.

“Yes, things are tough. The economic situation is challenging and many people are struggling but that is not an excuse to withdraw children from school. I am advising parents not to be discouraged and give up. We have to take the issue of the education of our children seriously. They are our future. We must not joke with them and their future.

“As students resume, I pray that God will bless our parents to be able to do the needful. Education is the best legacy we can give them,” he stated.

Unity colleges face resumption uncertainty

Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to surround the resumption of Federal Unity Colleges following the controversy over the concession of Kings College, Lagos, to its Old Boys Association.

The Federal Government, which owns the unity colleges, recently handed over Kings College to the old boys.

The move led the Parent Teacher Association of unity colleges to call on members to boycott resumption.

The controversy intensified over the weekend after social media claims emerged that the Federal Ministry of Education had postponed the reopening of the colleges by three weeks.

Education Ministry rejects fake postponement notice

The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed the claim, saying the circular circulating online was fabricated.

In a Saturday night statement signed by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations, the ministry said:

“The Federal Ministry of Education has disowned a fabricated circular circulating on social media, purporting to announce an additional three-week holiday for students of Federal Unity Colleges nationwide.

“The Ministry stated that the document did not originate from it and should be completely disregarded. It reaffirmed that Monday, 14 September 2026 remains the approved resumption date for all Federal Unity Colleges, with no directive extending the holiday or shifting resumption to 4 October 2026.

“The Ministry clarified that the purported circular, dated 8 September 2026 and referenced “FME/SS/UNI/2026/128,” is fraudulent. It also noted that the document falsely bears the name and signature of “Dr. (Mrs.) Aisha Garba” as Permanent Secretary. The Ministry’s Acting Permanent Secretary is Dr. Mrs. Folake Olatunji David.

“The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, assured parents, guardians, students and stakeholders of the Federal Government’s commitment to a safe, orderly and seamless resumption.

“The ministry urged the public to verify information through its established communication channels and refrain from reproducing or circulating fake official documents.

“The Federal Ministry of Education reaffirmed its commitment to providing accurate, timely and transparent information.”

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