Recession: Lagos Parents Withdraw Kids From Private Schools

Many parents in Lagos State have started withdrawing their children from private to public schools, due to the current economic recession.

We learnt that many of the parents took the decision when they discovered that their income could no longer meet their needs.

Some proprietors of private schools, who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH, said they were expecting such situation.

The Deputy President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Mr. Abayomi Otubela, told one of our correspondents that one of his members in Mushin, Lagos State, had formally complained that parents were withdrawing their children in droves, from her school to the public schools in the area.

A mother of three, Mrs. Favour Ukpong, whose child attends a private school at the Fagba area of Lagos, told SUNDAY PUNCH that she had withdrawn her daughter from the school and moved her to a public school.

Ukpong said, “I just realised that I can’t afford the fees any longer. More so, the proprietors have increased the fees from N18,000 to N25,000.

“How much do I make from the second-hand clothes I sell? I don’t make much. Paying N18,000 had even been a challenge for me. I took my time to search for a good public school in my area. I am happy with my choice.”

Another parent, Mrs. Wemimo Abiodun said her child’s tuition had increased by N10, 000, which spurred her decision to withdraw her daughter from a private school at the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos.

She said, “There are good public schools that have sound teachers. Many parents get carried away with the hype that comes with having a child in a private school.

“I had wanted to withdraw my daughter long time ago. The tuition was N40,000 and has now increased to N50,000. My husband can’t afford that.”

Also, a banker, Mr. Steve Aliyu, who said he was a victim of a mass purge in his organisation recently, said he had withdrawn his four year-old daughter from a private to a public school.

A school proprietress/principal, Mrs. Uzor Oluwaluyi, said, “I envisaged that due to the harsh economic recession in the country, the possibility of parents moving their kids from private schools to public schools as a new school year beckons is 50/50.”

Another school proprietress, Mrs. Abimbola Oni, expressed fears that rather than taking their kids to public schools, some parents might decide to keep them at home.

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