Once again, it’s that time of year when children must return to school, marking the dreaded school fees week. I often ponder how parents managed school fees many years ago, especially considering Uganda’s turbulent state due to wars and insecurity.
In the pre-modern era, our old-fashioned parents typically had an average of five biological children per family. Polygamy was rampant, as one man having multiple wives was common, further increasing the number of children requiring school fees. Additionally, some had to support the children of relatives who had fled into exile.
Salaries were meager, and opportunities to supplement income through corruption were scarce. While some argued that parents benefited from government or parastatal jobs, which often provided housing, transportation, and allowances, not every parent had such employment opportunities. Many relied on agriculture and the cooperative movement for income generation, but even those avenues had limitations.
Back then, there was no government-sponsored free universal primary education or universal secondary education. However, there were some subsidies, such as the provision of free tetrapak milk to students for nutrition.
In this era, school fees remain a significant burden for many families. Banks capitalize on this by offering specialized packages for those struggling to pay school fees. Some parents even resort to selling part of their land to secure their children’s education, despite the risks of unemployment.
While the outcry grows every time for parents, every school is free to charge any amount in terms of fees. Yes there is inflation. However the school fees being charged in many of our education institutions, especially primary and secondary sections, cannot be explained.
Parents are left in a squeeze and cannot do anything for themselves beyond educating the next generation.
The current trend is totally unsustainable as it makes all other economic activities almost entirely dependent on the success of education to thrive.
Last year , the ministry of education and sports set out to have the school fees regulations approved by cabinet and eventually implemented.
This was in response to the statutory requirements contained in section 3 and 57 of the education Act 2008 that require the minister responsible for education from time to time to issue statutory instrument for purpose of regulating school fees.
However the draft school fees regulations enlisted alot of public debate. Private school owners objections based on the assumption that once passed, the regulations would affect there return on investment and push them out of business. So in the end, effort fell flat on its face and every family is now left on mercy of school owners
Most schools require fees to be paid in full before admission, Yet their fees include things like, team of papers, brooms, slashers, hoes, pangas, bag of cement on top of the building fund, you may also have to pay more for your child to engage in extracurricular activities that are a requirement for a holistic education
For instance, joining clubs like scouts, girl guides, swimming, tennis, cookery, art, music, dance, and drama often require additional fees. These were once included in the overall school fees and were considered part of the educational experience.
It’s worth noting that many private schools are situated on limited acreage, with high-rise buildings accommodating classrooms for academic purposes. Few have adequate space for children to exercise or engage in extracurricular activities.
