OPINION:NAVIGATING THE COST OF EDUCATION POST SUBSIDY REMOVAL by Idris Ismail
by
Idris Ismail
I have the personal feelings
for Nigerian parents who shall be sending their children to schools, especially
private in the next academic session.
I strongly feel that I
should send the my advice with my close to 30 years plus experience in the
sector so that they do not have to develop a blood pressure because they want
to send their children to school.
Surely some parents
originally wanted the so call very quality education for their kids with not so
correct believe that public education has lost quality.
Yet a good number of
Nigerian parents actually are doing copycat because they want to
do what their
neighbours are doing even though their original earnings do not and cannot
support private education.
The public education is
actually not of less quality because one can actually be sure that, the best of
teachers still dwell in the public school except that the Government of the day
in some states, not all the states, were showing lackadaisical attitude towards
funding of education, especially in infrastructure and instructional materials.
Some of today's professors
learnt under the trees in their villages. I recall I never studied in a class
with cemented floor until SS1.
My first suggestion is that
each parent in the coming session should locate the best among preponderance of
public schools around their area. Yes, if you research very well there will
still be some that are getting appreciable attention from responsible tiers of
government or stakeholders within the neighborhood.
After you have located a
school that you feel a little bit comfortable with, you now make a provision
for what you consider as the shortfall in such school.
The first shortfall could be
textbooks provision. It is your own responsibility to now make a provision for
all the best of the textbooks that your kids will need because the public
school will not provide them with these textbooks.
Expectedly, they might give
you a list of books. It is for you to
get all the textbooks your child will need. I am sure you still will be
spending less.
Next thing you have to do is
to boost the self-esteem of your child who is changing school to new
environment.
How do you do that?
The first thing you do is to
get your child about three pairs of uniform so that at every day your child
goes to school with the very best of appearance. This should be complemented
with about four pairs of socks and recommended sandal.
Then, you get them a quality
ok bag for their things.
Note that you may have to do
quality chairs for the kids in some schools depending on your areas.
Yes, you must provide your
kid with the quality of food you have been giving. In fact, you can upgrade
because you will definitely have more money in your pocket when you choose a
public school as against the private school that might have been shooting up
your BP before now.
Because you know that the
public school might not be in your view, giving exactly the quality that you
think you wanted as against your so called private school, you may augment this
with lesson teacher to take key subject at primary level (maths, English,
science) while those in secondary schools attend organized lesson in the
neighborhood .
I encourage you to always
ensure they appear neat and well dressed and loved. This is important for
assurance of love and adaptation in their new school.
It is important as well that
you attend meetings in the school. The PTA meeting especially so that the
children will feel that you are just behind them and you are offering the
necessary support in their new environment.
If you are in capacity to
fix some facility in the school especially the toilets please go ahead and
assist the school.
This is because your
children and other people's children will eventually benefits. Certainly you
can facilitate through some NGOs , the government links and connections to put
some of the school facility in correct order.
All schools will write the
same WAEC and NECO, I encourage you not allow the current economic situation as
it affect cost of private education especially affect your health, integrity
and or dignity.
The last time I checked, the
best performances in external examinations ( check the just released WAEC
result) are from public schools.
Alh Idris Ismail writes from E8/58 Ile
Ajeja oje Ibadan
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