SMEs And Harsh Economic Situation ln Education Industry

The harsh economic situation in the country has become a source of worry to Nigerians, as many now live below the poverty line.
To many families, only those who are alive think of education, so parents prioritise between sending their children and wards to school to learn and become future leaders and feeding to live till the future comes.
The Tide’s went to town to see how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the education industry are coping with the situation.
Read on .

The Proprietress of Brave-Brain Academy, Mrs Nwaichi Princess Daberechi said, “there is massive withdraw of children from the private schools to government schools due to the inability of  parents to meet up with financial demands.
“Also, so many children are in their houses not attending private nor government schools because things are generally very difficult”.
Mrs Nwaichi noted that parents that formally pay their children fees with ease only survive the strategy of paying many times throughout the term.
To the proprietress, there is need for government’s intervention to alleviate the suffering of the masses. “The leaders should do something about the devastated economy of the country.
“Government should also upgrade our curriculum, hunt the out of school children making sure that they are back to school, put good policies in place that will better the education sector”. 
Brave-brain proprietress who said she has been in the system for over ten years now, noted that one cannot compare the present rate of progress in the school system to what it has been before.

To the Proprietress of  Biddi International School, Mrs Bridget Eze, “comparing the growth of the school in the time past and now, it is very obvious that the time past is better than  today. Most parents cannot conveniently feed their families twice a day let alone paying their children’s school fees.   
“I started teaching as far back as 1988 as a classroom teacher. I have also headed both the nursery and primary sections as an employee before establishing my own school ten years ago. Things are difficult now.
“ The economic situation makes it almost impossible for school owners  to make profit. As a medium enterprise I want to say that we are not making profit as supposed. 
“The reason is because the parents who are our number one customers are adversely affected by the economic situation in the country”.
She said that some  parents lost their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic and those of them in different businesses are not making gains  like before, “while some shops are even closed down”.
On the way forward for the school system, she said, “talking about what should be done as a solution, there should be a general overhaul of the entire system starting from the top.
“security situation of the nation should be properly addressed,  devaluation of naira and high level of corruption in the society should be dealtwith by leaders who must become sincere themselves”.
The Proprietress noted that the economic situation of the country has affected every sector, not only the school system.

A teacher in one of the private schools, Excel Education Centre, Mrs. Azubuike Joy Chimezie said that the poor economic situationin in the country has affected the rate of the growth  of the schools.
“The growth rate has dropped drastically due to poor economy and low income of  some families compared to when the situation was better. Some parents even withdrew their children or wards from good schools to quacks not minding if they are getting the basic knowledge or not due to financial constraints. 
“We know generally that the times are hard but it is heartbreaking that only the politicians and highly connected business persons are making it, while the poor are getting poorer. It affects the payment of school fees, she added.
She said the “situation affected their school once like that, so the school used a strategy of reducing the school fees and advertised a free registration of students. This opened a door for inflow of pupils. This brought more students into the school as they pay  for other fees and school fees. It went a long way to boost the number.
Mrs. Azubuike who has been in the school system for 21 years now said school owners no longer make gains like before and this accounts for why some private schools owe their teachers, adding that even some parents are heavily indebted to their children’s schools.
“I suggest that government should pity the poor masses and find a way of cubbing poverty rate in the country. The leaders should ensure that both private and government schools are properly equipped . The country has all it takes to do that but their selfish interest would not allow them use the God given Nigerian natural resources to benefit the poor masses”, she said.

My Business with Lilian Peters