Key Takeaways
- Escalating transport fares in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are preventing children from low-income families from attending school regularly.
- Parents are resorting to reducing school days, considering transfers to closer government schools, or even borrowing money to cover transport costs.
- School administrators report a significant increase in pupil absenteeism and a negative impact on academic performance.
- Teachers are also affected by high commuting expenses, sometimes leading to their own missed classes.
- Schools have been forced to discontinue bus services due to unsustainable operational costs and parental inability to pay.
- There is an urgent call for government intervention to stabilize fuel prices and improve road infrastructure to alleviate the burden on families and schools.
School children from low-income households across Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are increasingly missing classes, as the prohibitive cost of daily transportation makes regular attendance an insurmountable challenge for their families. This alarming trend, driven by recent economic shifts and persistent fuel price hikes, threatens to widen educational disparities and undermine academic progress for a vulnerable segment of the population.
FCT Families Face Unprecedented Commute Crisis
Interviews conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja revealed the profound difficulties faced by parents and students. Many shared harrowing accounts of how significantly increased transportation expenses have disrupted their lives, forcing them to adopt drastic coping mechanisms. The financial strain is palpable, pushing families to the brink as they try to balance education with other essential household needs.
Parents Forced to Make Agonizing Choices
Solomon Enemona, a tailor residing in Dutse Alhaji, exemplifies the dilemma. He now spends N2,000 daily to transport his two children to school in Kubwa, a stark increase from the N800 he previously paid. "I have no choice but to take this measure because, if I don't, I may not be able to feed the family, pay our rent and other utility bills," Enemona lamented, explaining that he has cut his children's school attendance from five to three days a week. "Desperate times, they say, call for desperate measures."
Danjuma Musa, another parent, is contemplating moving his children from a private school in Wuse to a government school closer to his Mpape residence. "Sometimes, they miss school because I am unable to pay for their transportation," he stated. "I now spend three times what I used to pay for their transportation; I cannot cope anymore because, how much is my salary?" Andrew Innocent, a father, sometimes faces the agonizing decision of choosing which of his children can attend school on a given day due to limited funds, occasionally resorting to borrowing money to ensure their attendance.
Schools Grapple with Absenteeism and Operational Hurdles
The impact of rising transport costs extends deeply into the educational system. Mrs. Rachel Musa, Vice-Principal of Goke Akinwale International Academy in Dawaki, confirmed a significant increase in pupil absenteeism, which directly correlates with declining academic performance. She highlighted that transporting four children could cost as much as N4,000 daily, an unsustainable sum for many families. Even teachers are not immune, with some spending up to N2,000 daily on commutes, leading to their own occasional absences.
"Even the teachers themselves too miss classes because of transportation," she noted. "Imagine coming from Gwarimpa, all the way to Dawaki to teach. You know how much you pay to and fro; at least you pay nothing less than N2,000 every day." To mitigate the academic fallout, the school organizes make-up tests and encourages note-sharing among pupils. However, operational challenges are also mounting; the school has withdrawn some of its buses due to escalating costs and parental complaints about transport charges, exacerbated by poor road conditions.
Similarly, Mr. Oneyi Edwin, Principal of Smartmind Success Academy in Jikwoyi, confirmed the discontinuation of bus services for pupils living far away, citing unsustainable operational expenses. This decision led to the loss of some affected pupils whose parents could no longer afford alternative transport, underscoring the critical role school transport plays for distant students.
Students' Academic Futures at Risk
The students themselves bear the brunt of this crisis. Samson Daruwana, a Senior Secondary School (SSS) student, missed school twice in two weeks due to transport issues, even missing a test after arriving late from a long walk. Jonah Jock expressed his distress over missing classes and the negative impact on his academic performance. Tony Nwachukwu, a Junior Secondary School (JSS) student commuting from Giri to Gwagwalada, now attends classes only four times a week and often treks to school. "It used to be N200 from Giri to Gwagwalada, but now, they collect N500, so I just trek Mondays to Thursdays and start my weekends on Fridays, so I can rest properly,\