Some Nigerian parents face private-school costs beyond tuition, with families interviewed in five locations describing separate bills for graduation events, books, meals and other school activities, Premium Times reported.
In Abuja, a parent identified as Mrs Kuburat told the outlet that a school charged N20,000 for a nursery graduation, N25,000 for a junior secondary pupil and N50,000 for a senior secondary pupil. The three charges totaled N95,000. She said she also paid N10,000 per child toward an end-of-session event in years when none of her children graduated.
Premium Times reported that Lagos parent Damilola Ojuolape said her daughter’s school charged N45,000 for graduation and that she spent a further N154,000 preparing her daughter for the event. Interviews in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Katsina and Benue also covered expenses for textbooks, meals, extra lessons, clothing, photographs, parties and other activities. The report gives individual examples but does not measure how common these charges are across Nigeria.
The outlet identified Ugwu Chinedu as the head of quality assurance at a school in Katsina. He said pupils whose families did not pay a contribution for a speech and prize-giving program had to bring their own food. “Those that did not pay it, you come with your food,” Chinedu said.
Tolulope Eludini, a parent in Lagos, told Premium Times her family sometimes put off school payments: “We've had to delay payment. Sometimes that's the only option.” Mary Odiba, proprietress of Wusasa Children’s School in Kaduna State, said contributions helped pay for event arrangements, food and awards, the outlet reported.
Nigeria’s federal government announced guidelines on Jan. 9 limiting graduation ceremonies to pupils completing Primary 6, Junior Secondary School 3 and Senior Secondary School 3. The rules also say textbooks should be designed to last four to six years and schools should not bundle disposable workbooks with textbooks. The government said the measures aim to reduce recurring education costs for families.
Anambra State announced a separate suspension of graduation ceremonies on July 24. The rule applies to public and private schools, with an exception for optional Senior Secondary School 3 ceremonies, which must involve no levies or other financial demands on students or parents.
