We have no power to curb high fees in private schools-govt admits
Moriku Kaducu, Minister of State for Primary Education has admitted that the current legal provisions don’t give Gov’t enough mandate to impose sanctions on schools charging exorbitant fees, despite several circulars and guidelines issued to schools regarding their fees structure.
She said, “The law has some gaps in terms of statutory instruments and regulatory framework and that is why when the Ministry of Education took the framework paper for regulating such that we eventually get the statutory instrument.”
Her revelation followed a question posed by Deputy Speaker Tayebwa on why the Ministry of Education has failed to implement guidelines issued on the management of school fees in Uganda.
“The question was very simple, you put in place all these measures you said these are the guidelines and all schools must adhere to these guidelines, so our question was we know there are schools that have continued not to adhere to these guidelines what are you doing to them? What punitive measures have you put in place? Do you have any sanctions in place for schools which have failed to adhere to those guidelines?” asked Tayebwa.
This was after the Minister informed Parliament that Gov’t has issued guidelines in the Circulars regarding exorbitant fees among which include barring schools from increasing school fees without authorization from Government.
“No school, Private or Government, shall increase school fees for whatever reason without written authorization from the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports and/or Chief Administrative Officer/Town Clerk as the case may be,” read in part the statement.
The Minister also said that schools are barred from imposing other cash and non-cash requirements outside the approved school fees structure and instead, all non-cash items must be catered for in the school budget and public schools are prohibited from employing teachers whose positions aren’t provided for on the government payroll since this is one of the cost drivers of fees in public schools with the Minister.
“Where a School Board/School Management Committee has to employ additional teachers to those on payrolls, permission shall be sought from the permanent Secretary in case of a Secondary School and Chief Administrative Officer/Town Clerk in case of Primary Schools, to use part of the Capitation grant towards the payment of the additional teachers. Head Teachers are warned against employing additional teachers before all the teachers on payroll have been assigned the minimum required teaching load,” noted Kaducu.
According to Minister Kaducu, all Government aided Schools were also warned against obtaining commercial loans noting, “Any school applying for a loan must seek authorization from the Minister of Finance through the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education as provided for in the Public Finance Management Act 2015.”
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