 School fees a rising crisis, yes it's that time again the beginning of a new school year and the mad dash to raise the money needed to pay school fees. Since the 1980s there has been a terrible deterioration in the quality of education and general state of Nigeria's government-run schools. This drastic decline has led to a dramatic rise in private schools so much so it feels like there is a new one popping up on every street here in Lagos which leads me to wonder perhaps that private schools are a lucrative business. In the same way that churches have sprung up on every street also but that is another topic for another day. So what options do parents really have? One, send their children to a government school. This option is most likely when there is no other choice available due to finances or local. Two, homeschool the children. Now this is becoming more of an attractive option since COVID. Many parents have woken up to the fact that with support it is the best option not only financially but also in educating their child. This is however a hard option for working parents as it is very hands-on and requires collaboration with tutors, virtual resources and constant parental oversight. Three, private school which is often the main option as it fits in with working parents schedules. However it is far and above the most expensive option. For example, when your child starts at a new school there is often a very large non-refundable to boss it to be made for each child. Some schools as much as one million Naira per child and you've not even paid to which yet. How come schools can get away with this? Yes, deposits are made but why are they non-refundable? Whilst I'm sure there is a regulating body for this the fact that schools are able to operate this way means they are not actually being regulated in this instance. Standard procedure would be that with proper notice of your child leaving the school or graduating out the deposit be returned but no not here in Nigeria. Another example as per private schools is the rising cost of school fees. Like myself many parents had a shocker when receiving the tuition bill with an increase of say 15%. Yet many schools feel it is their right to increase fees as they see fit. Now I am in no way taking away from the fact that these past 18 months with COVID-19 and the mismanagement of Nigeria's finances by the federal government leading to spiralling devaluation and skyrocketing inflation have put many schools in crisis but it has also been the same for the most of us in the general population. I cannot accept the reason being given by schools for such a hike in fees being due to inflation as 2020 to 2021 the rate of inflation has been around 3 to 4% significantly lower than the rate of increase of many schools. So where is the value? We parents are told to accept it that's the way it is otherwise remove your child from the school. We as a society have now come to the point where the occurrence of parents working just to pay school fees is more and more common. Is this really sustainable and how much longer can this continue? I think you've touched a very sore point. I mean I would like to you I don't honestly the last line for me is should we just continue working to pay school fees and rents because those two looks like the only two things you are working on. On one side I don't blame the school owners the cost of doing almost everything is very high. So I would take it to the real people who are culpable the government. You allowed government schools to fail completely because most of you went to set up private schools and you needed to make a case you needed to frustrate parents. Government schools are not approachable again so we are only we are tied down with private schools. So for me I think government needs to look into it to say let's be realistic fund schools fund universities fund secondary schools that you own. All parents need to start working on a jacper plan. I don't know whether I should make that loud but it's also an option. I totally agree with you. It's a very sore point. I don't want to get started. Like you said there are only two things that is illegal for parents and pay school fees. However there are a few issues that I have a problem with. You say it's not entirely the private owners fault. I still need some of the blame to them. I'll tell you why. I have a pretty good idea what it takes to I mean if there are a few schools I have a pretty good idea what it takes to run a school. I don't entirely agree that some of those monies they collect you know directly commensurate to their cost of operations. I agree that cost of operating anything in Nigeria is significantly higher than you know most places in the world. However they're not exactly commensurate. I mean I have a few friends that work in the bank and if you hear what they pay in terms of interest on the loans for schools is way higher than other people. But that's because the banks also know that they make a killing in terms of profits. That's why they can set those interest rates. Do you see what I'm saying? And they will accept those interest rates also knowing that they are going in for do you see what I'm saying? So there's a big problem there that needs to be checked right. Now that's a root problem. The root problem is the government what you mentioned the fact that you know at public schools. I mean I went to public secondary school and it was quite fine. Do you know what I'm saying? The primary was okay because you know we just wanted to go to private property. I went to public and what happens to all the model schools? What happens to all the federal government colleges? What happens to all those the commands you know the Navy schools? What happens to all of those schools? Those were good schools. I went to a command. Those were very good schools. You learn training, you learn you know education, academics, everything. So that's the first part of it. So part of the problem is also those entrepreneurs. Those I've said to make education you know a business. Too much profit. I mean yeah it's okay to make profit. Because I mean when we're growing up they said the teachers reward is in heaven. Not any longer. Partly the reward now is in part of the school owner. Because teachers they don't get paid that well. I know that as well. So sometimes you go to those schools, big schools charging millions of Naira. But if you hear what they say to their teachers during the lockdown, I mean the personal experience, the lessons I got from my daughter after the lockdown she didn't go back to her school because money she was making from just having three, four parents that were paying her salary just to teach their children at home. She didn't go back to school. Which is why I put in that other option right? So for one year during this past year, this passing for one year of that, I homeschooled my own children. Absolutely. Okay I and my nanny, I trained her. We homeschooled, we set curriculum, we did everything. So I really got a hands-on experience of what it meant to educate a child. And to be honest that is looking more and more like the best option for a lot. If parents are able to handle it. But there's so much demands on us in daily life. So you have to make money. And these days, both parents need to be out in the workforce or in the workforce. One may not be out, one may be like me at home in the workforce, but working. And so it's finding that balance. The thing is that it's getting to the point where it's going to be cheaper for us to send our children abroad to school. And that is what really blows my mind. It's almost there. We're almost there. Yeah. So what does that mean for our system? You know this point you just made. A friend of mine calculated what he needed to send his daughter through secondary school. A bird. No in Nigeria. What they needed to relocate was about nine million. What he needed to send his girl to secondary school was about 12 million. They are waiting for their last paper to relocate. That's secondary school. Let's not talk about the university. I'm talking about secondary school. Private universities don't do that. So why should you stay here and go through that? Don't give up. No, I'm not giving up. I'm going to play fifth in this matter because I'm not involved. We'll wait for you to get there. Yeah. But the thing I'm learning though from you guys and the people before us is that I'm cautious about how many children I want to have because I want them to have the best life, the best education and things like that. And I think that's what Baby Bloom has been put into consideration about family planning and things like that. Because now if you'd ask me, if I get married tomorrow, I want to have one child. If I go above and beyond, they're going to be just two. Even this day's one self is one or maximum two. And that's because I don't want to work just to keep paying school fees and pay rent. I want to work, give my child the best life and still enjoy my freedom and my life and my investment. So it's kind of like with millennials and with gents, it's like now we've seen how it is affecting you guys. We won't make the same mistake. We are going to plan because we do not want to work for rent and for school fees. We want to work for future rest and relaxation. And I think also this is where technology comes in as well. And the younger generation comes in is that technology and these teachers who want to teach, who are passionate about the jobs they need, teachers, technology and children and parents. And at some point, you're going to have to cut out the schools. Yeah. So yes. Hashtag boycott this boycott this. So what a wonderful topic. It was mine, of course. Join us again next week on another edition of The Advocate. The advocacy continues on our social media platforms on Facebook, plus TV Africa, hashtag The Advocate NG and Instagram at plus TV Africa. Hashtag The Advocate NG. To catch up with the previous broadcast, go to plus TV Africa dot com forward slash The Advocate NG. Don't forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel plus TV Africa. Join us next week, same time on this station. Let's keep advocating for a better society.