Transport costs reduce school attendance in Abuja
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Dailytrust
In Abuja, low-income families now pay 2,000 naira a day to take two children to school, up from 800 previously. Some parents are reducing attendance or considering a closer public school, according to testimonies gathered by Nigeria’s NAN news agency.
Rising transport costs are prompting low-income families in Abuja to reduce their children’s school attendance. Parents and pupils described the difficulty to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during interviews conducted in the federal capital on Friday.
Solomon Enemona, a father of two and a tailor living in Dutse Alhaji, now spends 2,000 naira a day on their journey to school in Kubwa, compared with 800 previously. To continue covering household expenses, he has reduced their attendance from five to three days a week.
Danjuma Musa is considering transferring his children from a private school in Wuse to a nearby public school in Mpape. He says he is spending three times more than before on their journeys and can no longer afford the cost. Andrew Innocent, meanwhile, says he sometimes has to choose which children can go to school and borrow money to avoid prolonged absences.
