…School runs, rising fees, uniforms, others compound fears
It can be tasking to begin to take on a new role as parents whose children are starting school for the very first time.
At a time when husbands and wives engage in salary jobs or other ventures to make ends meet, children are being forced to leave the comfort of their homes as early as two years or even less for child care homes which also mark the beginning of their academic journey.
This is the dilemma of ‘Ayoade’ whose two-year-plus daughter is about to start “school” this September.
Ayoade, a middle-aged mother of one, has been burdened with the responsibility of identifying the right daycare for her daughter.
Since June, Ayoade has been school-hunting for her daughter and have been unable to settle for any since then – owing largely to the financial demands of the schools.
Ayoade and her husband, traders on the Island, live in one of the middle-to-low-income communities of the Lagos mainland both consider the financial requirements of the schools in their community too high for their daughter.
According to her, the least fee required from the schools she visited was N50, 000, while the highest was said to be N75, 000.
This financial demand though moderate considering the current economic situation of the country was considered a bit on the high side by the couple. This is understandably so because the couple know their earnings and would not want to overburden their finances.
More so, this is also the same challenge faced by many parents whose children are due to start school this month as the new academic session commences.
Franca Ihentuge, an Owerri-based teacher and mother of four, told BusinessDay that whenever school is about to resume especially during first term of an academic session, parents are usually anxious because of pile up payments required of them.
According to her, parents are often required to buy new textbooks, workbooks, bags, new uniforms, pay school fees, among other things that make them anxious because it comes in bulk unlike other terms.
However, parents only struggle to pay school fees alone during the second and third term.
“In my own view, I think schools should cut off on the number of subjects they offer in schools, select the important ones that will be written in WEAC to cut off some costs for parents.
“Parents indeed face various pressures during school resumption, especially for first-time students,” Chukwumelu Otito Amah, head teacher, Margaret Moradeyo Memorial School, Lagos, told BusinessDay, corroborating Ihentuge’s viewpoint.
According to Amah, parents have to ensure their children have all the necessary materials for the academic session, which can be overwhelming, especially with rising costs. She said that parents also have to adjust to new wake-up times and morning routines that are nothing but stressful for both parents and children.
“These pressures can vary depending on family circumstances, but they are common challenges many parents face during the back-to-school period,” Amah said.
Elizabeth Olanubi, English editor at Evans Publishers, told BusinessDay that the transition back to school also means parents have to get everyone back into a strict routine. According to her, this can be tough after a long, relaxed holiday; hence the need to manage their own stress while also helping their children deal with any anxiety about new teachers, new friends, or a new school year.
Olanubi said that the financial squeeze for many parents is among the biggest worry of their back-to-school anxiety. She said that parents might feel a sense of guilt if they cannot afford everything on the school list. “This worry isn’t just about money; it’s about their child’s future and ensuring they have every opportunity to succeed.”
According to her, many parents worry about their ability to provide for their children, which make it seems like everything costs more all at once. “Resuming school can be a really stressful time for parents, and it’s not just about getting the kids to class on time. It’s a heavy mix of financial, emotional, and logistical challenges that can make it feel like a huge weight on their shoulders,” Olanubi said.
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How to adjust to school resumption challenges
As schools resume after the long break, the day-to-day logistics of getting the children to school that is usually referred to as ‘school runs’ is a taxing job for many parents, especially working-class parents.
According to Olanubi, parents have to juggle work, household chores, and school runs; the same way they have to make sure homework is done and school projects are completed, all while trying to make time for family and themselves. “Getting everyone ready and out the door on time can feel like a marathon every morning.”
However, she said parents can adjust to the situation by planning and preparing for the new academic session early. She said parents should openly discuss financial and emotional stress with their partners and also connect with other parents.
She said parents can focus more on the essentials and do not have to buy everything at once, but can prioritise the most critical items for the first few weeks and plan to purchase others later. According to her, sharing the burden and strategising together can significantly reduce individual pressure.
“Ultimately, school resumption is a time when parents’ love for their children is tested by a reality of financial and daily pressures. They are the heroes who make it all happen, often with a lot of stress and silent struggle,” Olanubi said.
As parents adapt to the financial strain of back-to-school, Amah said they need all the emotional support they can get as they also adjust to time management for the children who are required to wake very early and the parents.
According to her, parents with the right emotional support will help their children transition to school life, manage anxiety, and build confidence, which are taxing emotionally for parents. She said that balancing work, household responsibilities, and ensuring children are prepared for school on time can be challenging, coupled with the cost of school supplies, uniforms, and extracurricular activities that put a strain on family budgets.
The pressure of school resumption on teachers
As school resumes, teachers face pressures to prepare for new challenges in the classroom. These include sourcing teaching materials and aids, which can be time-consuming and costly. Teachers are also responsible for re-engaging students who may have forgotten previous lessons after a long break; and will also have to adapt to potential classroom changes made by their school management.
Gbenga Odole, a Lagos-based parent and teacher, told BusinessDay that teachers have to prepare their lesson notes among other things ahead of the resumption date. According to him, many teachers have to look for means of meeting the demand of getting the necessary materials before the school resumes.
“Many times, teachers go as far as either looking for money to buy materials or perhaps they look for other alternatives in making out for those materials. Number two; we are engaging students who may have forgotten previous lessons after a long break,” Odole said.
According to him, sometimes teachers also have to adjust to managerial decisions within the school system. He said school management can decide to change a teacher’s class depending on the prevailing circumstance in the school.
“The school management might decide to change such teacher from a particular class either to upper class or to lower class. And that can become a lot of challenges to the teacher, especially when the teacher had already prepared for the particular class that he or she expected to be.”
He however said that teachers can reduce stress and effectively navigate the demands of school resumption by being proactive. “To mitigate this pressure, teachers should plan ahead and prepare materials in advance.
He said that planning ahead will help teachers better manage the stress that comes with the annual back-to-school pressure. According to him, proactive teachers are usually not pressurised, because they already know what to do far ahead of the resumption date. “All the things you need are already available and you can easily use them in your teaching method,” Odole said.
