The former Vice President also condemned the recent increase in fees charged by Federal Unity Colleges, describing both measures as economically insensitive and contrary to the government's constitutional responsibility to ensure access to education for all Nigerian children.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is imposing additional financial burdens on families already struggling with soaring inflation, rising food prices, increasing transport fares, higher electricity tariffs and widespread unemployment.
"It is unconscionable that at a time when Nigerian families are battling record inflation, soaring food prices, rising transportation costs, crippling electricity tariffs, stagnant incomes and widespread unemployment, the Tinubu administration has chosen to make education even more expensive," Atiku said.
He maintained that education remains the most effective tool for breaking the cycle of poverty and warned that increasing the cost of schooling would deepen social inequality and reduce opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
"A government that genuinely believes in the future of its people does not erect financial barriers between children and education. It removes them. Education is not a privilege reserved for the wealthy; it is the birthright of every Nigerian child and the foundation upon which prosperous nations are built," he stated.
According to Atiku, the proposed examination fee and the increase in Unity School charges come at a particularly difficult period, with Nigeria already facing one of the world's highest numbers of out-of-school children.
He noted that available estimates place the number of Nigerian children and young people outside the classroom at between 10.5 million and 15 million.
"Nigeria already bears the painful distinction of having one of the largest populations of out-of-school children in the world. Any government confronted with such a national emergency should be investing aggressively to bring these children back into school. Instead, this administration is choosing policies that will inevitably swell those numbers," he said.
The ADC chieftain warned that higher examination fees would disproportionately affect children from poor and middle-income households, many of whose parents are already forced to choose between paying school expenses and meeting other essential needs.
"The consequences of these policies extend far beyond school gates. Every child priced out of education today becomes tomorrow's victim of unemployment, poverty, child labour, criminal exploitation, drug abuse or insecurity. Nations do not become prosperous by making education more expensive; they prosper by making education more accessible," he added.
Atiku further argued that introducing a ₦50,000 fee for WAEC and NECO examinations would create another obstacle for academically qualified but financially disadvantaged students seeking admission into tertiary institutions.
"It is a systemic filter that will inevitably restrict access to tertiary education for thousands of indigent but academically qualified Nigerian students. For many children from low-income families, the journey to university does not end at the admission gate—it is terminated long before then by the inability to afford the qualifying examinations that determine their future," he said.
He also linked the issue to the limited admission capacity of Nigerian universities, noting that although more than two million candidates seek university admission annually, public tertiary institutions are only able to admit between 500,000 and 700,000 students because of inadequate infrastructure.
"Rather than addressing this structural deficit by expanding infrastructure and increasing admission capacity, the government is effectively constricting access even further through higher Unity School fees and the proposed ₦50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee. The result is a cruel double punishment," he said.
Questioning the government's reliance on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a solution, Atiku argued that student loans cannot compensate for policies that prevent children from completing secondary education or writing the examinations required for university admission.
"A university loan offers little comfort to a child who has already been priced out of secondary education or cannot afford the qualifying examination required to secure admission. A government cannot credibly claim to be expanding access to higher education while simultaneously erecting financial barriers that prevent millions of young Nigerians from ever reaching the university gates," he noted.
He insisted that genuine education reform should focus on making learning affordable at the primary and secondary school levels, expanding university infrastructure, recruiting more teachers and ensuring that poverty does not determine a child's educational future.
"No nation has ever taxed its way into educational excellence. Countries that aspire to economic greatness invest more—not less—in education during difficult times because they understand that human capital is the engine of sustainable development," he stressed.
Atiku called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the increase in Unity School fees, shelve the proposed ₦50,000 WAEC and NECO examination fee, and convene a broad stakeholders' dialogue on sustainable funding for public education.
He also urged the Federal Government to increase investment in public schools, expand tertiary institutions and ensure that no Nigerian child is denied access to education because of financial hardship.
His comments come amid growing public debate over the affordability of education, following recent increases in school-related charges and concerns over the rising cost of living. While the Federal Government has introduced NELFUND to improve access to higher education through student loans, critics argue that affordability challenges begin much earlier, particularly at the secondary school level where students must complete qualifying examinations before seeking university admission.
The reported plan to introduce a uniform ₦50,000 examination fee for WAEC and NECO candidates from 2027 has continued to generate public discussion, with education stakeholders calling for greater clarity from the relevant authorities on the proposed policy.