Some parents in Enugu metropolis have expressed concern over what they described as an unbearable increase in the tuition fees and other levies charged by private schools owners in the state.
They said that the increase had added to the financial pressure on households as parents are now grappling to survive rising cost of living in the state.
Newsmen report that several privately owned nursery, primary and secondary schools in Enugu had increased their tuition fees and other charges compared to the charges in the last academic session.
Speaking with newsmen on separate interviews on Tuesday in Enugu, a parent, Mr Peter Ajagu, said the increase had made his family to cut down on some daily expenses to ensure that the fees of his children are paid.
“I was surprised to hear from my children’s school principal that the school fees for my daughter in Junior Secondary two had increased to N150,000 from the N120,000 we paid last year.
“I asked why the fees were increased, but the principal said it was a directive from the proprietor and that he did not have much explanation on the matter,” he said.
Ajagu urged the government to look into what he described as arbitrary increases in fees and levies by private schools, saying the development was placing additional socio-economic pressure on parents and guardians.
Similarly, a housewife, Mrs Elizabeth Ugwueze said that the new tuition fees charged by a popular private school in Independence Layout area of Enugu had made the school unaffordable for many average-income families.
“In 2025, we paid N95,000 per child for my three children, but the school said the fees had increased to N110,000 per child.
“The government should intervene and regulate these charges because education is supposed to be a social service and not a profit-oriented venture, which most school owners are turning it into,” she said.
A civil servant, Mrs Cordelia Uga, said she had decided to transfer her two children to a public school because she could no longer afford the increased fees at their current school.
“The school my children attend raised its fees to N160,000 per term from the N125,000 we paid last year.
“I cannot cope with that considering my take-home salary,” she said.
However, some private school proprietors and administrators defended the increases, attributing them to prevailing economic realities.
They cited inflation, rising utility costs, increased staff salaries and the need to maintain quality learning environments as some of the factors responsible for the upward review of tuition fees.
Mrs Nneka Udeaku, a school proprietor, explained that the adjustment in fees was necessary to sustain the school’s operations without compromising educational standards.
“We understand the concerns of some parents, but schools are also grappling with the same economic pressures.
“We cannot deliver quality education if we do not have competent teaching staff and the right instructional materials,” Udeaku said.
Another school proprietor, Mr Chris Agbo, said private schools continued to play an important role in bridging gaps in educational services in spite of the increase in fees.
He noted that private schools did not receive government subventions, while school owners had to bear the rising costs of running their institutions.
Agbo said some private school owners were operating at a loss, stressing that investment in the education sector was capital-intensive.
He maintained that without appropriate adjustments to school fees, many private schools might struggle to remain operational.