John Danjuma Omachonu
The Nigerian parents and guardians, struggling with the rising cost of food, transport and healthcare, still have another ailment to contend with, at the nation’s consulting clinics- increase in education expenses, adding another layer of pressure as millions of Nigerian children prepare to return to schools.
Ordinarily, September should be a time of excitement for pupils returning to schools, but for the parents, it is a season of anxiety.
Soaring school fees, accommodation, expensive textbooks, and rising costs of other supplies have turned back-to-school preparations into a major financial ordeal.
Across the country, schools have increased fees, while prices of textbooks, uniforms and other learning materials have also surged, leaving many families distraught ahead of resumption.
Checks across primary, secondary and tertiary institutions show that many families will spend more this session than they did last year, as schools and education-related businesses adjust to the rising cost of living.
At the tertiary level, like University of Ilorin, LASU, among others, the least accommodation in the popular room of four now ranges between N250 to N300,000.
This is aside from the N2000 for form and a token of between N5000 and N10000 monthly payments by students with electronical appliances such as fridges, though, officially not allowed.
At Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, a bed space in the hostel now reportedly costs about N520,000, compared with N320,000 last session. CompareCredit Cards
Some private schools have also increased hostel fees. One school in the Agbado area of Lagos reportedly raised its hostel fee by about 50 per cent, citing rising operating costs.
Parents seeking places for their children in public schools are also facing additional expenses in some areas.
In Lagos, the special tax payable by parents who cannot provide tax clearance certificates has increased from N10,000 to N20,000 per child.
For many families, the rising costs have made preparations for resumption increasingly difficult, according to Vanguard CompareCredit Cards
Textbook and handout prices for key subjects, including English, Mathematics and Science at all levels of education have reportedly increased by about 25 to 30 per cent.
Consequently, some parents have resorted to purchasing used textbooks sold at popular places like Agege, under bridge, Ikeja and Oshodi, Lagis state.
Similar centres have sorang up in major cities, like Abuja, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Kano, among others.
This is even as parents and guardians have resorted to selling used textbooks as their wards advance to higher classes, diminishing the age-long ‘communal living’ of giving freely to either neighbours or relations.
A bookseller in Agege, Lagos, identified as Omotola, blamed the increase on higher printing costs and limited competition among recognised publishers.
“New publishers are finding it difficult to come into the business. Moreover, the cost of printing has gone up, and that has surely affected the cost of textbooks,” he said while speaking to Vanguard.
A concerned parent attributed the development to hardship and poverty, adding, ” Nigerians have resorted to selling anything as even the naira, with its low purchasing power, is not easily available. People hardly gift or dash others anything these days because their survival is not certain and the only way out is to monetise whatever one has that he or she wishes to dispose.”
According to a proprietor of a school, “with the rising cost of diesel, teachers’ salaries, materials, we have no choice, but to increase fees.”
The analysis of the costs by Metrobusinessnews.com, (MBN) shows: tuition: +20% to 50%, textbooks: +30% to to 60%, uniforms, bags, sandals +40%, transport + 30% to40% impact of fuel price, will leave them despondent and more vulnerable.
In Kogi State, parents have similarly expressed concern over rising tuition and other charges in private schools. One parent said some schools increase fees and introduce new charges at the beginning of academic sessions without giving parents enough opportunity to question the increases.
Meanwhile, some schools in Ogun are also preparing for health challenges ahead of resumption.
In Champion International Schools in Arepo, Ogun Stat for instance, authorities said measures had been taken to contain and ensure any likely epidemicthe..
In a WhatsApp message to the parents on September 4, the school said:
“Dear Champions Parents,
Please be informed that our SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED this SATURDAY, September 5th, 2026.
This will allow Public Health professionals to come into our schools and carry out comprehensive fumigation to eliminate pests, such as snakes, rats, cockroaches, mosquitoes, houseflies and spiders.
At Champions, health is wealth.
Please, bear with us.
DS ( Director of Studies)
September 5th, 2026
www.championschoolsng.com”