Nigeria’s Education in Crisis: How Government Neglect of Public Schools is Forcing Parents Into Costly Private Education Traps
Special Report: Story written by Okafor Joseph September 16,2026
Nigeria’s education system is at a breaking point. While the Federal Government continues to promise reforms, its repeated failure to improve public schools has left millions of parents at the mercy of expensive, low-quality private schools that prioritize profit over learning.
Public Schools: A System on Life Support
Earlier this year in Abuja, thousands of pupils were locked out of classrooms for more than six months as public school teachers staged a strike over the government’s refusal to implement the new minimum wage agreement. For many children, that meant half a year of wasted academic time, idleness, and shattered hopes.
This is not an isolated case. Across Nigeria, public schools are plagued by dilapidated classrooms, unpaid teachers, overcrowding, and outdated learning materials. The Federal Government’s failure to provide sustainable funding and enforce accountability has turned education—which should be a right—into a privilege.
Private Schools: From Classrooms to Cash Machines
As confidence in public schools collapses, desperate parents are forced to enroll their children in private institutions. But instead of offering real quality, many private schools have transformed into cash machines, where profit trumps purpose.
In Lagos and other major cities, parents now face skyrocketing tuition fees every new term, sometimes increasing without notice or justification. Beyond school fees, parents are compelled to purchase new textbooks each term, even when the same subjects are taught, creating an endless cycle of financial pressure.
“Every session, the bills get higher,” lamented Chinwe Eze, a Lagos parent with three children in private school. “We pay fees, we buy uniforms, then we are told to buy new textbooks every term—even when last term’s books are still relevant. Education has become an expensive trap.”
Falling Standards in Private Classrooms
Ironically, while parents bleed financially, the quality of teaching in many private schools is declining. Reports from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) show that several unregistered schools operate with unqualified teachers and inadequate facilities. Instead of bridging the gap left by public schools, many private institutions exploit it—leaving Nigerian children with half-baked education at premium prices.
A Nation at Risk
Nigeria’s e-learning index ranks among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, with millions of children still out of school despite being of primary or secondary age. Experts warn that if urgent reforms are not carried out, Nigeria risks raising a generation ill-prepared to compete in the global economy.
Education analysts argue that the solution lies not just in regulating private schools but in reviving the public school system. A well-funded, transparent, and accountable public education sector would reduce dependence on exploitative private schools and ease the financial burden on struggling families.
Fact Box:
- 6+ months: Length of teachers’ strike in Abuja due to unpaid minimum wage arrears.
- $1.1 billion: Estimated annual cost Nigerian parents spend on private school tuition (UNESCO).
- 40%: Nigerian children in private schools at primary level due to collapse of public education (UNICEF).
- 3.2 million: Nigerian children still out of school, highest figure in the world.
The Nigerian education crisis is no longer just about poor public schools—it is about a system where government neglect has opened the door for private profiteering, pushing parents into debt and leaving children underprepared. Without urgent intervention, the dream of affordable and quality education for all Nigerians may remain just that—a dream
