I know parents want to give their children the best education. Truth be told, some of our parents never had the best education as they would have loved it, so they had vowed to give their children the best of the best.
There’s nothing wrong with that type of mindset. In fact, as an aspiring father, I will give my children the best education I can conveniently afford. However, as Africans, we seem to be getting it wrong.
I have a neighbour who has six kids. The oldest is about age 9 while the youngest is 2. As much as I admire my neighbour’s passion for education, I don’t seem to agree with his approach.
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His kids are in the most expensive school in my neighbourhood. This is a man who is a casual worker at the Nigerian Breweries. He is on a very low salary scale – forty thousand naira per month. Every term, he would always complain about their school fees. This new term that just started, his children stayed at home for two weeks after the resumption. He lamented every time. He said he was finding it very hard to raise their school fees. He had to go borrow.
In Nigeria, having six children in nursery school is no joke especially if it is a very expensive one. I have seen some parents put their first two or three children in the best school and the rest are made to go to a substandard one or even public school.
This goes out to every parent, before choosing your children’s school, ensure you check your pocket. You know what is at stake. Don’t go with the biblical belief that God will do it. Remember, it is the same God that said, ”have you seen a man that wants to build a house without checking his pocket to see if he has enough money to complete it.”
Let’s be strategic. It’s easier to invoke the spirit of hatred in the children when one is given the opportunity to attend a better school over the other. If you can’t afford an expensive school, choose a moderate one that suits your financial capability. If you make an enquiry, you’ll always find relatively cheaper ones with good quality as well.
It makes no sense to be in debt just because you are trying to give them the best. Remember, living in debts could cut a man’s life short. At the end of the day, you won’t be able to give them the best you wanted because of premature death.
Equality starts with your children’s education. May we all live long enough to reap the fruits of our labour.
