As school don resume for Ebonyi State, plenty parents don begin face one serious wahala wey no be small. Children don ready to go back to school, school bags don come out from under bed, uniform don collect ironing, and teachers don begin prepare lesson notes. But one important thing still dey hang for air: school fees!
For some families, school resumption na time of excitement. Pikin go see their friends again, learn new things, and continue their journey to become something meaningful for life. But for some parents, na another season of calculation, borrowing, begging, and wondering how dem go fit pay everything wey school management don put for paper.
My people, school don resume, but school fees never resume for plenty pockets!
Uzondu Nmesomachukwu
For Abakaliki and other communities across Ebonyi State, education na one important thing wey parents want give their children. Nobody want make their pikin remain for house while their mates dey classroom. Everybody want make their children get better education, graduate, find good work, and become people wey fit support their families tomorrow.
But between this dream and reality, money dey stand like a stubborn gatekeeper.
First, na school fees. Before person fit even finish calculating the school fees, another list go appear. Textbooks, exercise books, writing materials, school uniform, sandals, socks, school bags, practical fees, and other charges wey school fit introduce. If na boarding school, prepare for another round of spending.
Omo, na education or house rent person wan pay?
Imagine one parent wey get three children. The first one dey secondary school, the second one dey primary school, while the last born just dey enter nursery. Every child get different fees and different requirements. Before the parent finish settling one child, another child don bring another list.
If the parent dey work for government, private company, or dey run small business, the question still remain: how much money dey enter the house, and how many mouths dey wait to chop from am?
Even traders for Abakaliki market no dey find everything easy. Sales fit slow down, customers fit owe, and the price of goods fit increase. Yet, school management no dey collect payment with the promise say, “Bring am whenever business improve.”
School fees get deadline. Hunger no dey wait. House rent no dey wait. Electricity bill no dey wait. Transport fare no dey wait.Na the parent dey try balance all these responsibilities with one pocket wey no dey expand.
Another matter be say some parents dey enter debt just to make sure say their children no miss school. Some go borrow from friends, collect money from cooperative societies, or take loans wey go later become another headache. Others go begin sell the little things wey dem get.
All these sacrifices show how much parents value education. But e still raise one important question: must education always come with this level of financial pressure?
For Ebonyi State, where agriculture and small businesses support many households, the cost of educating children deserves serious attention. Government, school proprietors, parents, and other stakeholders need to look at ways to make education more affordable without destroying the quality wey children deserve.
Government schools need adequate funding, classrooms need proper maintenance, and teachers need the necessary support to do their work. Where school fees and other charges dey rise, school authorities need to communicate clearly with parents and consider the economic situation of the families wey dem serve.
Parents too need support to plan for school expenses. But make we no deceive ourselves: planning alone no fit solve every problem when the money wey person earn no dey match the money wey person need to spend.
And to the school authorities, this message concern una too. Education no suppose become competition about which parent fit pay fastest. Where possible, flexible payment arrangements fit help families wey genuinely dey struggle. A child no suppose lose valuable learning opportunities simply because the family never gather all the money at once.
The truth be say, when children miss school because their parents cannot afford the fees, na society dey lose something important. The child loses learning time, the parent carries another burden, and the state risks wasting the potential of people wey fit contribute to its future.
Education na investment, no be ordinary market transaction. If Ebonyi State wants a future where young people fit solve problems, create jobs, and contribute to development, then making education accessible must remain part of the conversation.
As school don resume, make we remember say behind some children wey dey laugh with their classmates, their parents fit dey wonder where the next payment go come from.The children don carry their school bags. Teachers don enter classrooms. School gates don open.
But for many homes, one battle still dey continue.
School don resume, but school fees never resume. And until education become more affordable for ordinary families, every new school term go continue to feel like another examination for parents.
As we dey bring you tori wey concern our yard every Saturday, remember say Tori for Yard na your space too. If anything dey happen for your area wey you wan make the world hear, send am come ENN — together, we go make sure every voice counts.
