Teachers, parents cautioned against exorbitant fees in govt aided schools

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

The Mbarara Woman Member of Parliament Rita Atukwatsa Bwahika has condemned the defiance by the parents and the heads of Government Schools under UPE and USE who are charging exorbitant money for school fees yet the program was focused to help vulnerable people to also access free education.

The Government of Uganda introduced a free education program both for Primary (Universal Primary Education) and Secondary (Universal Secondary Education) purposely to enable ordinary parents access schools for their children to study without paying. However, most of these Schools have defied and started charging some money as school fees, something that is against the program’s policy.

Atukwatsa said that the UPE and USE is a free program.

“‘We have heard about the issue of school fees in our government schools. If primary and secondary education is free, why would parents go to a government school and collaborate with the heads of those schools and increase school fees exorbitantly? Honestly I don’t support it and I condemn it….Some of the decisions made in these schools are made by few individuals. I want to agree that schools should involve everybody when they are coming to make decisions, especially those concerning fees related issues,” said MP Atukwatsa.

Atukwatsa was on Thursday, August 1,delivering and handing over learning textbooks which she lobbied from the ministry of education for both primary from P1 to P7 and Secondary schools from S1-S6. The estimated cost of these books is Shs 67,102,000

There were 2177 books going to primary schools and 2779 books that will be supplied in Secondary schools in Mbarara City. There are 12 schools that are going to benefit which are only government ones under UPE and USE programs. Among the schools that will benefit include ST. Pauls SS Biharwe, Mbarara Army School, Katojo P/S , Kishasha P/S all in North Division and Nyamitnga Moslem SS, Mbarara SS, Nyakayojo SS, Katukuru SS, St. Mary’s P/S Katete, Kambaba P/S in South Division.