As academic activities resume in most schools across the country Monday, January 11, after the Yuletide and New Year celebrations, in continuation of the 2015/2016 academic year, some parents and guardians are lamenting the very tight financial climate prevalent in the country.

Matters, they say, are made worse for them by some of the schools, including federal government colleges that are insisting that students must produce evidence of payment of all prescribed fees before they are allowed to return to schools.

Even though this has been the tradition for most schools, especially boarding schools, prevalent economic realities in the country, appear to have made payment of the second term tuition ahead of resumption a Herculean task to some parents.

Some parents who spoke with The Guardian expressed worry over the harsh economic situation, calling on school owners to have a rethink and extend payment deadline to at least end of January.

Commenting on the situation, Executive Director, Edumark Limited, an education-consulting firm, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, regretted that the present state of the Nigerian economy has taken quite a toll on parents.

Ogunde, who stressed the need for parents, guardians and educators to plan ahead maintained that it was important for parents to guard against being caught in this kind of condition many parents are in now.

The consultant, who painted a grim scenario said with companies downsizing and the country coming to terms with dwindling revenue from oil, it was imperative for parents and schools to adjust.

“I learnt from a parent that in the United Kingdom, Nigerian parents are already gradually withdrawing their children from schools and parents are reevaluating a lot of things at this period,” she noted.

Describing as a tall order the fact that “school fee takes a huge percentage of family expenditure,” Ogunde counselled “schools to assess this issue so as to reduce the number of defaulting parents and stop parents from moving from school to school.”

Mrs. Onu Confidence Ogonna, a parent, doubts the possibility of her children paying up their tuition on or before the resumption date simply because of the prevalent hard times.

She said, “Things are very difficult this time, even my children were asked to pay their tuition before resumption date, and there is no money to pay now. I will suggest that school proprietors should give some grace period till the end of January.”

A parent and businessman, Mr. Jide Ayoola, who failed to record high sales during the Christmas festivities, urged school owners to cooperate with parents by giving a few weeks grace period, a clearing and forwarding agent, Mr. Dave Uzochukwu, wants parents to effectively plan for their children’s education.

According to him, even though times are hard, parents should never have lost sight of the fact that schools would reopen in the first or second week of the new year when celebrating hence the need for them not to compromise their children’s education and future.

A parent and teacher, Mrs. Edith Edet, provided an insight into why schools are increasingly demanding fee payments before students are taught, saying it makes for effective and efficient running of schools.

“Apart from that, some parents are unfaithful when it comes to paying school fees in bits. If only you see records of most schools and how much they are being owed, you will see reasons why schools have decided to tow that line,” she said

Chief Executive Officer, Global International College, Lekki, Mrs. Bolaji Osime, believes that “It is tough all round for the schools and for the parents. But my sympathy lies mostly with the children, as parents have to withdraw them from schools where they have settled, made life-long friends and excelled academically. This is causing a lot of distress all around.

“It has been a tough Christmas for families really, but schools are businesses just like any other business. They have huge overheads and teachers don’t sympathise with all of these things we are talking about. If you don’t pay them, they start looking out for the next vacancy.

She advised schools to regularly meet with parents in order to devise ways of tackling challenges peculiar to individual schools saying, “It is important to ensure that children do not suffer as a fall out of the present economic crisis. I implore parents, school owners and educators to become creative and find ways of reducing overheads, and also to put in place financial assistance to help students.”