As schools resumed yesterday with low pupil turnout in Rivers State, parents have raised concerns over mounting financial pressures from unnecessary school requirements.
They are calling for a ban on extra costs such as multiple uniforms, excessive fees, and compulsory items that strain family incomes.
At Community Secondary School, Rumuekini, Mr. Zabulum Ikedi, who came to register his daughter, lamented that parents now bear heavy financial burdens once covered under the state’s free education policy.
He added that poor infrastructure and lack of furniture were also discouraging enrolment in public schools.
The Rivers State Ministry of Education, led by Permanent Secretary Dr. Ndidi Chikanele Utchay, monitored resumption and expressed disappointment over the low turnout, urging parents to send their children back to school.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Rivers State Basic Education Board, Sam Ogeh, assured that the government was working on addressing teacher shortages.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State Government has moved to curb excesses in schools, banning multiple uniforms, flamboyant graduation parties, and the practice of writing inside textbooks.
Following a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Jos, it was resolved that textbooks should only serve as reference materials, while classwork and assignments must strictly be done in notebooks.