Again Charterhouse’s N30m School Fees Spark Uproar On Social Media

Posted by African Examiner Exclusive Reports, Exclusive/Investigative Stories, Featured, Latest Headlines Friday, January 3rd, 2025

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – A British independent school, Charterhouse that is located in the Lekki area of Lagos State, has again generated controversy over its fees from Nigerians on social media.

According to the website of the school, the Charterhouse Family of Schools has been a prominent name in British education for over 400 years.

Also, the Lagos campus, the first African branch of Charterhouse UK, admitted its first set of students in September 2024 which cater to Year 1 through Year 6 pupils.

The African Examiner recalls that the school had earlier received backlash in April 2024 due to its tuition fees, which were reportedly as high as N42 million per year, alongside a N2 million non-refundable registration fee.

However, the controversy has emerged again after a video uploaded on X by user #itzbasito, captioned, “This is what the inside of the most expensive school in Lagos looks like. It costs N42 million per year”.

According to the video, attributed to Charterhouse, the institution claimed that tuition and accommodation cost less than N30 million. However, the explanation of the school did not quench the controversy as many Nigerians took to their X accounts lampooning the school for the amount of their tuition fees.

#TheWaleOrire writes: “If the government can’t regulate school fees in primary and secondary schools, how can we achieve standardised universal basic education? There’s absolutely no reason why any secondary school in Nigeria should be charging N42 million per year.

“This only widens the gap between the lower, middle, and upper classes, turning education into a luxury for the rich instead of a right for every child. We need urgent reforms to bridge this inequality.”

Other X users agreed with the statement as according to them, the fees primarily catered to the wealthy elite.

#OAAdeniji writes: “There is no way anyone in Nigeria, earning in Naira, will be paying N42 million per year for a secondary school student, no matter what they are being taught. This is more than outrageous.”

#toofighting writes: “You’d find that the students are mostly children of expatriates, and those fees are paid by the companies their parents work for. Most Nigerian parents cannot pay that sum out of pocket.”

#rusticfunmi writes: “N42 million per annum just so some people can feel superior that their children will be taught by whites… sorry, ‘expatriates.”

However, some users defended the school saying that it caters to a specific segment of society.

#Arsenicscot writes: “They don’t have the majority as their market target. All these una complain na for una pocket. When admission commences, the school will be filled; it won’t be scanty. The owners of the school know the segment of the population they are targeting. They won’t beg for students.”

#Treazyblaq writes: “If they can afford it, why not? These schools offer more than just education; they’re valuable for networking and building connections that can benefit the future. It’s an investment, not just in education but in opportunities and overall growth.”