“I don’t believe summer school is important because schools in Nigeria give students assignments during summer school instead of teaching them new things and new skills. That is not how summer school is supposed to be. I will never attend it,” said a 16-year-old student, Nnamdi Sean Enwemadu.
Another student, Joy Emmanuel, who said she was also not going to attend the holiday classes, explained that she did not achieve much in the previous ones she attended and that most times they played and did little learning.
“But this time my mother said she cannot pay extra money because things are hard and she prefers I help her in her business and read at my leisure,” she said.
She noted that teachers used the holiday to continue what they were supposed to do during school hours and nothing new, adding that students needed to rest too during the holiday so that they could function properly when school resumed.
However, the concept of holiday classes, known as summer school, has been in the system for long, which is a period where short form of education is delivered to students outside the regular term course.
With the changes in the education system globally, where technological and other skills are considered important and being incorporated into learning, many schools, especially private ones, have introduced all forms of learning for their students, but they are not without a prize.
Some parents told Daily Trust that the situation in the country would not permit them to pay some of the charges and as such preferred their children to stay home and rest during the holiday.
A parent, Abdulhamid Yunus, said his children would not be attending holiday classes this time.
He said, “Every day and time, the children go to school to learn and return home to do their assignments. Weekends, more home classes take place. They hardly have time to rest. The brain and body need some rest from stress. I decided to allow them some breathing space.
“Certainly, the cost is part of the consideration. The lesson teacher charges more, and with competition for food to feed the family, I had to step down for now.”
Another parent, Victoria Julius, said her children were not attending classes this time because she had no money to pay for any lesson when they were looking for feeding money.
“They have been attending lessons in the past and there is no much difference because they go there to play and learn little, so they should play at home and read at their own pace, now it is not easy to pay for fees and still pay for holiday classes, we need to look for food to survive in this country, “ she said.
Another parent, Sydney Ogriga, said his children were supposed to attend and that he was expected to pay N30,000 but the school postponed it and might be likely be due to low turnout.
He said though the school cited that the postponement was due to the ongoing nationwide protest that had restricted movement and activities and shifted to 17th August, 2024, as starting day, many parents had not indicated interest in paying for their wards.
“I now many parents that said their children are not attending the summer classes because of the hardship and that they rather use the money in feeding them at home because going to school will require extra food and expenses for transportation and other things,” he said.
Another parent, who did not want to be named, told Daly Trust that her children’s school was doing lessons on skills but that the charges were outrageous.
She said her children chose bead making and swimming and that they were expected to pay N40,000 each just for just a day’s training for swimming while they paid N12,000 for bead making.
“I have two children and that means paying N80,000 for them to learn swimming, I said they should go for the other one instead,” she said.
She said they are looking ways round exploit parents ‘besides children are supposed to relax and rest for the holidays to regain lost strength .”
The proprietor of a private school in Abuja said the charges were high because most times they brought in people from outside to teach the children some of the skills.
He said that the turn out for this term was low as many parents cited the economic hardship in the country.
He further said, “You cannot blame anyone, things are really hard in fact some parents are yet to even complete the fees of their children and keep begging for more time; that is how bad it is.”
However, the Chairman of Voyage International Schools, Abuja, Yussuff Oriyomi, said the summer school was not a regular class and that’s why activities like math, English and other everyday subjects were excluded.
He said, “We are doing Qur’an memorisation classes, plus some play activities for children such as swimming, football competition and martial art.
“The turnout is good. Not below our expectation. Despite the hard times, it’s important to keep the children productively engaged as part of efforts to even safeguard them.”
Reacting, Hanatu A. Enwemadu Esq, a child and family wellbeing advocate and Executive Director at Mother’s Love Initiative, said a child’s development was a complex interplay of physical, cognitive, emotional and moral growth influenced by factors such as environment, nutrition, education, parenting and genetics, hence that this formative period required careful attention and nurturing.
She said rather than focusing solely on academic pursuit, parents should view summer as a precious opportunity for their children to rest, recharge and explore, and that by creating a stimulating yet relaxed environment, parents could foster a strong parent-child bond, encourage creativity and build a lifelong love of learning.
“Unstructured play, new experiences and laughter are essential components of a fulfilling summer. It’s a time for children to reconnect with nature, develop social skills and simply be kids. While academic enrichment programmes may have their place, the true value of summer lies in its potential to ignite curiosity, foster imagination and prepare children for a successful return to school,” she said.
“Understanding the importance of this developmental stage can help parents create optimal conditions for their children’s growth. Let’s prioritise experiences over academics and make this summer a truly unforgettable one for the Nigerian child,” she said.