Economy: More parents shun school homework for wards

Nigeria's education sector is experiencing a growing crisis as parents increasingly withdraw support for school homework assignments, citing unreasonable demands placed on young learners. The phenomenon reflects systemic inefficiencies in Nigeria's primary education system that present both risks and opportunities for European investors operating in West Africa's largest economy. The issue has crystallized around disproportionate homework loads assigned to primary school pupils. Parents report that children in early primary grades—such as Primary One—are being tasked with assignments spanning mathematics (writing numbers 1-1,000), quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, English language, and artistic activities simultaneously. These demands are neither age-appropriate nor pedagogically sound, forcing parents into an uncomfortable position: either invest extraordinary personal time in homework supervision or allow their children to fall behind academically. This parental resistance signals a deeper institutional problem within Nigeria's education system. The country's schools operate under chronic resource constraints, with many institutions lacking adequate teaching materials, trained educators, and structured curricula. Teachers, themselves poorly compensated and under-resourced, often compensate by assigning excessive homework rather than delivering comprehensive classroom instruction. This places the educational burden squarely on parents—many of whom work multiple jobs and lack the educational background to effectively tutor their children in advanced subjects. The macroeconomic