School fees shock: Nigerian parents struggle as private schools raise tuition by up to 40%

• Private schools across Nigeria have increased tuition fees by between 30% and 40% ahead of the new school term.

• Parents are also dealing with higher transport costs as fuel price hikes affect school runs and bus services.

• School owners blame rising operational costs, unpaid fees, taxes and higher teacher salaries for the increase.

• The Federal Government has confirmed that Federal Unity Colleges resumed on September 14, dismissing rumours of a postponed resumption.

The new school term has barely started, but many Nigerian parents are already feeling the pressure as private schools across the country have raised tuition fees by between 30% and 40%, making back-to-school expenses even harder to handle.

Beyond paying for books, uniforms and other school supplies, parents now have to deal with higher school fees and increasing transportation costs caused by the recent hike in fuel prices.

Checks in Lagos showed that a private secondary school in Ipaja increased its tuition from N86,000 to N124,000 per term. Another school in Egbeda also raised fees from N250,000 to N320,000 per term.

Parents with children in public schools are not left out either. In Lagos, those who cannot provide tax clearance certificates through formal employment now pay a N20,100 levy, up from the previous N10,100.

The recent increase in petrol prices is also changing how many families get their children to school.

Some school owners are reportedly considering reviewing transport charges after already sending bills to parents earlier in July, before the latest fuel price adjustment.

Others are taking more drastic steps.

A school in Alagbado, Lagos, has reportedly stopped its school bus service completely, leaving parents with the responsibility of dropping off their children or keeping them in the school's hostel.

One parent, John Aderiye, said using his own car for school runs no longer makes financial sense.

“I have decided to save my self needless stress by contracting a tricyclist in my neighbourhood to take my son to and from school. What I will be spending on that monthly is a fragment of what I would have spent on fuelling my car to do so,” he stated.

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Private school owners insist they are not increasing fees just for profit, saying the cost of running schools has become overwhelming.

President of the Lagos Chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Otunba Yusuf Alaka, said many schools are even being lenient despite rising expenses.

“In fact, the increase ought to be higher than that if the cost of living would be taken into consideration in full force. The increase being complained about, that is 40 per cent, is small if we are to go the whole hog.

‘’But we are considerate too and moreover, many of our members have hundreds of millions of naira yet to be paid by parents. Do you know that some parents will owe fees here and take their children to another school the following term.

“If you look at a school and you see say 300 students, ask the owner how many students have fully paid their fees at the end of the term. That is apart from the operational cost that keeps increasing daily. We also have different levies and taxes to pay various tiers of government.

“People don’t seem to understand what we go though running our schools. People are running away from the teaching profession and to get people to take up the job, you have to pay them well. In some parts of Lagos now, you can’t pay a teacher less than N150,000 monthly. If you have your own permanent site for a school, have you considered the cost of renting a place?!

‘’We understand the situation and we are not too shylock in our thinking and action. Let the people understand what we are going through too.”

According to him, schools are battling unpaid fees from parents, rising teacher salaries, rent, taxes and maintenance costs.

The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) admitted that many families are struggling to cope with the latest increases.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, appealed to school owners to reconsider the size of the fee hike.

“School owners have increased fees by between 30 and 40 per cent and many parents are finding it difficult to cope because of the economic situation in the country.

‘’What the proprietors are saying is that operational cost has increased. They cite the cost of maintenance of facilities, even classrooms, where if they have any repair to do, is expensive.

“Yes, we all know what the situation is nationwide, but we plead with them to reduce their fees. It should not be more than 20 per cent increase. Most of the parents and guardians that are going to pay don’t enjoy salary or income increment, most are not civil servants and even what is the level of the salary increment that civil servants enjoy.

‘’We are just pleading with them to make things easy. For parents, I pray that God blesses their pockets to be able to live up to their responsibilities. However, I would advise that they don’t go beyond their capacities. Private schools have levels, you don’t have to put your children in the very expensive ones.”

Despite the tough economy, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has encouraged parents not to allow financial hardship stop their children's education.

Chairman of the Lagos Council of the union, Hassan Akintoye, said education remains the best investment for children.

“Yes, things are tough. The economic situation is challenging and many people are struggling but that is not an excuse to withdraw children from school. I am advising parents not to be discouraged and give up. We have to take the issue of the education of our children seriously. They are our future. We must not joke with them and their future.

“As students resume, I pray that God will bless our parents to be able to do the needful. Education is the best legacy we can give them.”

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Meanwhile, confusion over the resumption date for Federal Unity Colleges has been put to rest.

Over the weekend, social media was flooded with a fake circular claiming students would resume three weeks later because of the controversy surrounding the concession of Kings College, Lagos, to its Old Boys Association.

However, the Federal Ministry of Education dismissed the circular as fake and confirmed that Monday, September 14, 2026, remains the official resumption date for all Federal Unity Colleges nationwide.

The ministry also noted that the fake notice wrongly carried the name of "Dr. (Mrs.) Aisha Garba" as Permanent Secretary, whereas the Acting Permanent Secretary is Dr. Mrs. Folake Olatunji David. It urged Nigerians to ignore the false information and rely only on official communication from the ministry.