School Resumption: Fuel Price Hike Pushes Parents To Tough Choices

The steady rise in fuel prices across Nigeria is taking a profound toll on household finances, with one of the hardest-hit sectors being children’s education.

As private schools resume for a new term following the Easter and Sallah holidays, many parents are confronting a harsh reality: the cost of transporting their children to school is now competing directly with tuition fees.

For some families, transportation is no longer a secondary expense but a dominant one, forcing difficult decisions that are already reshaping schooling choices across the country.

This shift is altering enrolment patterns nationwide. Increasingly, parents are delaying payment of school fees, downsizing their educational preferences, or withdrawing their children from private schools altogether in favour of more affordable options closer to home.

Parents, school owners grapple with rising transport costs

In Abuja, school operators say the situation is becoming increasingly difficult to manage as both parents and proprietors struggle to absorb rising costs.

Dr Mary Chinwuba, an educationist and Executive Director of Chalcedony Prime School, Abuja, described the development as deeply troubling.

“The impact of the fuel hike is not really palatable, because in turn we, the school owners, are left with no choice but to increase the fare of our school buses, which also affects the parents who are at the receiving end,” she said.

“Parents will start looking for schools around them that will not require school buses just to cut costs, even when it is not what they actually want.”

In the same vein, Mrs Rosemary Onyenagubo, proprietress of The Winners Joy International Academy, Kubwa, Abuja, lamented the rising cost of school operations.

“I don’t know how to go about it. The economy is not friendly at all. We are losing as private school operators,” she said.

“We currently don’t charge for anything except fuel. I have to buy new tyres for our Sienna bus and replace some parts, but the cost will be on us, not the parents.”

She warned that passing the full cost to parents could be unsustainable.

“If we add all these costs, parents will pay nothing less than N300,000 per term for transportation. I am even planning to stop the service, but if I do, it will affect some students, and we don’t want to lose them.”

She added that the pressure is not limited to transportation.

“This fuel hike is equally affecting our staff, who are asking for salary increases. How do we keep up? It is not good at the moment,” she said.

A parent, Mrs Ademiretiolewa Adebayo, who has two children in a private school in the Lugbe area of Abuja, said that although the school did not directly increase tuition fees, additional charges introduced after a PTA meeting are already putting pressure on parents.

She said the proprietress, during the meeting, raised concerns about rising operational costs, additional taxes from the government and the impact of the new education policy, and subsequently informed parents to expect a new charge known as a “curriculum implementation levy.”

“In the newsletter sent home with the children, the curriculum implementation levy was pegged at N12,000 per student. She explained during the PTA meeting that the levy was necessary to procure materials needed for the new curriculum,” she said.

Mrs Adebayo, however, noted that the levy is only one of several emerging concerns for parents.

“But that is not even the only issue. For the first time, the school was silent on transport fares. We have been paying N90,000 for students within the FHA area of Lugbe and N120,000 for those outside the FHA for the past three terms,” she said.

“The proprietress complained during the PTA meeting that the current rates are not sustainable given the cost of petrol, but did not give any further details. This has left many of us worried that a new price may be introduced after parents have paid school fees, making it difficult to withdraw our children.”

She added that the effects of rising costs are also being felt in less obvious ways, including classroom conditions.

“My children came back with heat rashes last term because of the extreme heat. When I raised the issue at the PTA meeting, I realised the school had been rationing generator use due to high fuel costs,” she said.

“In fact, the PTA is now considering installing solar-powered fans in classrooms to ease the situation.”

Mrs Adebayo further disclosed that the school has also adjusted charges for end-of-session activities.

“For the graduation or transition party, Pre-Nursery and Nursery 2 pupils are to pay N20,000, Nursery 1 and Grade 1 to 4 pupils N12,000 each, while Grade 5 pupils will pay N30,000. This is a significant increase from what was paid last year,” she said.

She noted that the proposed increase in school fees was only deferred following intervention by the PTA.

“The proprietress had planned to increase fees, but the PTA chairman appealed to her to delay the increment until the next academic session,” she added.

Other parents say the impact of the fuel hike goes beyond school-related expenses and is directly affecting their sources of income.

A communication expert and father of four based in Abuja, Mr Tony Ada Abraham, said the rising cost of fuel has disrupted his daily activities and earnings.

“The fuel hike has really impacted most of the activities that fetch me money. Before now, I used to fill my fuel tank and it would take me around town for my daily activities,” he said.

“Now, I can’t even fuel my car or meet up with meetings because of the financial constraints.”

He said the ripple effect is now evident in his ability to meet educational obligations.

“If I can’t meet up with my activities due to economic hardship, how will I be able to pay my children’s school fees when they resume?” he asked.

“If something urgent isn’t done, this is going to be a disaster that will cause disaffection among the people.”

In Niger State, the trend is already evident. Parents in Minna say they are increasingly moving their children to schools closer to home to reduce transportation costs, even when it means sacrificing quality.

Transportation, once considered a secondary expense, has now become a major financial burden for many households.

Several private schools have responded by increasing bus service fees, with some raising charges from N80,000 to N120,000 per term, an adjustment many families say they cannot sustain.

One such increment was communicated in a message to parents in Minna:

“Dear Parents/Guardians, please be informed that the new bus service fee is as follows: Military Barracks: N90,000; Ahead of Military Barracks: N110,000. Note: Bus service is first come, first served.”

For many parents, such increases have become a breaking point.

A mother explained how the hike forced her to act immediately.

“It was N80,000 before, as a flat rate irrespective of distance. Now we are to pay N110,000. We have already changed school for our daughter because the cost is too high for us to bear,” she said.

Even families that have not withdrawn their children are struggling to cope.

Abdulhamid Yusuf Gupa, a Niger State government worker, described how rising living costs have made it difficult to pay school fees at once.

“Currently, I am to pay N32,000 for the child in JSS3, N12,000 for the one in Primary 5, and N10,000 for the one in nursery,” he said.

“As it is now, until I start contributions, I won’t be able to pay the school fees. Honestly, the money is not much, but I cannot pay it at once.”

From hostels to day schools, Lagos parents cut back

In Lagos, the rising cost of living is forcing parents to take even more drastic steps, including withdrawing their children from school hostels.

A parent, Seun Adenle, said while some schools have maintained tuition fees, other charges are quietly increasing.

“The school maintained the tuition fee, but increased the graduation party fee to N15,000 from N10,000 for non-graduating students,” he said.

“It is just an end-of-session event, but the cost has still gone up.”

Adenle, a teacher who recently moved from a private school to a public one, said fee adjustments are often tied to staff welfare.

“The increment was agreed upon during a PTA meeting after complaints about salaries. The school owner explained that the N5,000 increase would help improve teachers’ pay,” he said.

He added that most schools prefer to implement major increases at the beginning of a new academic session.

Another parent, Adewale Kunle, whose three children attend Lagos African Church Grammar School in Ifako-Ijaiye, said the economic situation has forced many parents to withdraw their children from hostels.

“I have already paid for the third term before resumption, which helped me prepare ahead,” he said.

“But many parents are withdrawing their children from hostels in Abeokuta because of the rising cost. I also withdrew mine because hostel fees were close to N300,000.”

School operations under strain as costs surge

School operators across states say the rising cost of fuel has significantly increased operational expenses.

A school proprietor, Oluyomi Oladeji of El-Berit Academy, Ogun State, said the situation is becoming increasingly unsustainable.

“To be honest, the fuel hike has had a direct impact on our work. We operate as a social enterprise, already on very thin margins to provide quality education in underserved areas,” she said.

“We have staff to support, infrastructure to maintain, and expansion plans. There is also the fear of parents defaulting on payments, which may force us to send some children home due to outstanding bills.”

Dr Kamar Hamza, another proprietor in Abuja, noted that fuel costs have doubled in recent months.

“Where you used to spend N20,000 on fuel in a week, it now costs about N40,000,” he said.

He added that the burden is affecting both schools and parents.

“It is a daily movement from Monday to Friday. If this continues, some parents will move their children to schools closer to their homes,” he said.

“This has eaten deeply into the education budget of families.”

Across states, families pushed to the brink

School owners warn that the situation may worsen as rising operational costs could force further increases in fees.

For many parents, the future remains uncertain.

Attah Ede said, “We parents are not finding it easy. Many may be forced to withdraw some of our children from private schools in the next session.”

In Rivers State, the impact is already visible, with some schools increasing fees by over 30 percent.

A proprietor explained that the cost of running schools has risen sharply.

“The cost of diesel to run generators is far higher now. Staff transportation costs have doubled, and we have had to increase salaries,” he said.

“The cost of teaching materials has also increased. To keep the system running, we have had to increase fees.”

In Edo State, parents are also struggling.

Abdul Jimoh said transportation costs have risen from N200 to N500 per child.

“I have three children. The increase is significant,” he said.

John Abraham added that school fees have also increased.

“We were paying N20,000 per child; now it is N30,000, even before the latest fuel hike,” he said.

In Benue State, similar concerns are emerging.

Peter Aca said transportation costs alone are straining household budgets.

“Two of my children are in private schools, and they are resuming. Even without new school fees, transportation will have a ripple effect on our budget,” he said.

Scholastica Onyeka highlighted how inflation is compounding the situation.

“The bills are really high. Even if school fees don’t increase until September, other costs are already rising,” she said.

She added that parents with children in boarding schools face additional pressure.

“Instead of the usual once-a-term visit, we are now encouraged to visit monthly, which means more spending on food and transport,” she said.

“We are just managing, paying for things one at a time.”

In Cross River State, the economic strain is also pushing families to their limits.

Denis Mathias, a petty trader in Calabar, said the rising cost of education is becoming unbearable.

“For two of my children in private schools, I spend close to N300,000 per term. Now it will rise to about N400,000. My income cannot accommodate the increase,” he said.

“I am thinking of withdrawing them.”

For Jennifer Akpan, a single mother of two, the burden is not only financial but emotional.

“My husband died two years ago. I am solely responsible for everything; feeding, school fees, medicals and rent,” she said.

“The increase in fees and the general cost of living are affecting my mental health. I just need help.”

Education stakeholders say that with the burden now shared across parents, schools and students, policymakers at all levels of government must intervene to prevent the strain from crippling the education sector and worsening the out-of-school children crisis.

(Daily trust)