The holidays are almost over. And no
doubt, many students are looking
forward to returning to school, after
the long separation from cherished
mates and friends. They are preparing
to embrace the new academic year.
But the same cannot be said of many
parents and guardians, who are
saddled with the responsibility of
providing funds for payment of school
fees. In the face of the current
economic downturn, they must be
feeling the heat, which has affected
every sector.
Expectedly, some parents are devising
plausible ways of tackling this issue,
without infringing on the
requirements of their children’s
school. So, how are parents going
about sorting out this ‘problem,’
especially as some school owners are
still increasing fees, despite the
downturn?
Jayne Augoye, who works with The
Punch Newspapers, is somewhat lucky,
as her children attend a school, where
fees are not arbitrarily increased, and
the management is considerate. So,
she is not overly troubled that
resumption date is drawing near.“My kids’ school did not really
increase the fees, as only about N1,
000 was added to the school bus fare,
which is almost insignificant. The
school fee usually covers books and
other materials needed for
schoolwork. The school is not like your
typical schools, where increment is
done almost every time. In fact, I’m
yet to pay my children’s fees. The
school doesn’t disturb you for fees,
until after about two weeks into
resumption. Although they remind you
of it, but they usually advise we pay up
before mid-term,” she explains.
Before enrolling her kids in the school
however, Jayne says she made
enquires and gathered that they don’t
increase school fees anyhow. To her,
this was a major consideration before
choosing the school. Another parent,
Mrs. Olubunmi Adedina, the
immediate past Head of Department,
Adeniran Ogunsanya College of
Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, is
philosophical in her approach to the
issue.
“People always say that Nigerians have
a high coping mechanism and you
don’t have to cry over what you don’t
have, as you have to confine yourself
within your capacity; whatever you
have is what you live with,” she says.
“The present economic recession has
actually taught every one to live within
our means, not to be extravagant and
just get the basic things needed for
survival, because other things have
become luxury.
“One can only hope that things
improve with time, but before then,
let’s try to be moderate, so we don’t
live above our means. For instance, if
people can only afford cheaper school,
then they should send their children to
such, and when the economy gets
better, they can return to the standard
they were used to. I only live based on
my income, because we have to save
for the unknown.” Yvonne Odita, a PR
Manager, is one of those parents
having to cope with increased school
fees, but she is not greatly upset on
that account.
“My kids’ school fees were slightly
increased, although we were pre-
informed at a parents’ forum, before
the end of last session. The same goes
for the books, which the school
includes in the list sent to us at the
end of third term. So, we pay at the
beginning of the new session. I think it
is okay that way, because they take
away the stress of moving from one
bookshop to another, in search of
books,” she says.
Odita, who has three kids in JSS 2,
Grade 5 and 3, however, explains that
she had to tone things down this year,
when shopping for school accessories,
because of costs.
“I had to cajole my kids to use their
old school bags, which were still good,”
she says. “The only thing I changed
this time is their lunch boxes and we
had a serious discussion before I did,
but I saw that they couldn’t be
managed. However, the lunch boxes
are expensive compared to what they
were last year. Whereas you could get
one for between N1, 500 and N2, 000
in the past, now it is between N2, 000
to N4, 000. So, what I did this year was
to strike a balance between what they
need and what they want.”
To help parents cope with the hard
times, Mrs. Abolaji Osime, Principal
and founder of Global International
College, Lagos, explains that her school
does not engage in indiscriminate
increments, rather, they give them
discounts.
She says: “A lot of parents are
struggling, and the primary problem is
that most of them are losing their jobs,
so they don’t have income to fall back
on. This is also taking its toll on
payment of their kids’ fees. So, we
have to devise a means of providing
scholarships and discount to the
children. We also make payment plan
easy, so that parents will not feel the
burden, while having access to quality
education for their children. Parents
are allowed to make payments
monthly, if that is what they can
afford, just to aid them in giving the
best to their kids, as the focus is on the
child.”
Shedding more light on the discount
and scholarship, she explains that
parents, whose older kids have passed
through the school and then bring in
their younger children, are given what
is called ‘siblings discount,’ which is a
five per cent reduction in the fees. If
such parents are able to pay in
advance, they get a higher figure.
Interestingly, there is a positive
development brought about by the
hard times. Mrs. Osime explains that
due to the economic recession, a
number of parents are withdrawing
their kids from their schools in the UK
and U.S.
“This development is both positive and
negative, because it will help educators
look inward and improve on the
quality of education they give, so that
people bringing their children back to
the country will be assured of quality
education,” she says. “That way, one
can say that it is a positive fallout, as
Nigerian schools are going to be
patronised more than before. The
negative aspect is that with many
parents now losing their jobs, schools
have to devise means of helping,
which could majorly be done by
having a forum. Some parents can
come together to contribute and give a
child a scholarship. This is a serious
time for Nigeria, but we believe that
things will turn around for good soon
in this nation.”
The holidays are almost over. And no
doubt, many students are looking
forward to returning to school, after
the long separation from cherished
mates and friends. They are preparing
to embrace the new academic year.
But the same cannot be said of many
parents and guardians, who are
saddled with the responsibility of
providing funds for payment of school
fees. In the face of the current
economic downturn, they must be
feeling the heat, which has affected
every sector.
Expectedly, some parents are devising
plausible ways of tackling this issue,
without infringing on the
requirements of their children’s
school. So, how are parents going
about sorting out this ‘problem,’
especially as some school owners are
still increasing fees, despite the
downturn?
Jayne Augoye, who works with The
Punch Newspapers, is somewhat lucky,
as her children attend a school, where
fees are not arbitrarily increased, and
the management is considerate. So,
she is not overly troubled that
resumption date is drawing near.“My kids’ school did not really
increase the fees, as only about N1,
000 was added to the school bus fare,
which is almost insignificant. The
school fee usually covers books and
other materials needed for
schoolwork. The school is not like your
typical schools, where increment is
done almost every time. In fact, I’m
yet to pay my children’s fees. The
school doesn’t disturb you for fees,
until after about two weeks into
resumption. Although they remind you
of it, but they usually advise we pay up
before mid-term,” she explains.
Before enrolling her kids in the school
however, Jayne says she made
enquires and gathered that they don’t
increase school fees anyhow. To her,
this was a major consideration before
choosing the school. Another parent,
Mrs. Olubunmi Adedina, the
immediate past Head of Department,
Adeniran Ogunsanya College of
Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, is
philosophical in her approach to the
issue.
“People always say that Nigerians have
a high coping mechanism and you
don’t have to cry over what you don’t
have, as you have to confine yourself
within your capacity; whatever you
have is what you live with,” she says.
“The present economic recession has
actually taught every one to live within
our means, not to be extravagant and
just get the basic things needed for
survival, because other things have
become luxury.
“One can only hope that things
improve with time, but before then,
let’s try to be moderate, so we don’t
live above our means. For instance, if
people can only afford cheaper school,
then they should send their children to
such, and when the economy gets
better, they can return to the standard
they were used to. I only live based on
my income, because we have to save
for the unknown.” Yvonne Odita, a PR
Manager, is one of those parents
having to cope with increased school
fees, but she is not greatly upset on
that account.
“My kids’ school fees were slightly
increased, although we were pre-
informed at a parents’ forum, before
the end of last session. The same goes
for the books, which the school
includes in the list sent to us at the
end of third term. So, we pay at the
beginning of the new session. I think it
is okay that way, because they take
away the stress of moving from one
bookshop to another, in search of
books,” she says.
Odita, who has three kids in JSS 2,
Grade 5 and 3, however, explains that
she had to tone things down this year,
when shopping for school accessories,
because of costs.
“I had to cajole my kids to use their
old school bags, which were still good,”
she says. “The only thing I changed
this time is their lunch boxes and we
had a serious discussion before I did,
but I saw that they couldn’t be
managed. However, the lunch boxes
are expensive compared to what they
were last year. Whereas you could get
one for between N1, 500 and N2, 000
in the past, now it is between N2, 000
to N4, 000. So, what I did this year was
to strike a balance between what they
need and what they want.”
To help parents cope with the hard
times, Mrs. Abolaji Osime, Principal
and founder of Global International
College, Lagos, explains that her school
does not engage in indiscriminate
increments, rather, they give them
discounts.
She says: “A lot of parents are
struggling, and the primary problem is
that most of them are losing their jobs,
so they don’t have income to fall back
on. This is also taking its toll on
payment of their kids’ fees. So, we
have to devise a means of providing
scholarships and discount to the
children. We also make payment plan
easy, so that parents will not feel the
burden, while having access to quality
education for their children. Parents
are allowed to make payments
monthly, if that is what they can
afford, just to aid them in giving the
best to their kids, as the focus is on the
child.”
Shedding more light on the discount
and scholarship, she explains that
parents, whose older kids have passed
through the school and then bring in
their younger children, are given what
is called ‘siblings discount,’ which is a
five per cent reduction in the fees. If
such parents are able to pay in
advance, they get a higher figure.
Interestingly, there is a positive
development brought about by the
hard times. Mrs. Osime explains that
due to the economic recession, a
number of parents are withdrawing
their kids from their schools in the UK
and U.S.
“This development is both positive and
negative, because it will help educators
look inward and improve on the
quality of education they give, so that
people bringing their children back to
the country will be assured of quality
education,” she says. “That way, one
can say that it is a positive fallout, as
Nigerian schools are going to be
patronised more than before. The
negative aspect is that with many
parents now losing their jobs, schools
have to devise means of helping,
which could majorly be done by
having a forum. Some parents can
come together to contribute and give a
child a scholarship. This is a serious
time for Nigeria, but we believe that
things will turn around for good soon
in this nation.”
Comments
Post a Comment