PARENTS CRY OUT AS SCHOOLS ENFORCE STRICT FEES RULE IN ARUA CITY

Mrs. Janet Kataha Museveni, the minister of Education and Sports issuing a stringent school fees guidelines (Courtesy photo)

By Martin Anguyo
Arua City

With just few days to the reopening of the third term 2025, some schools in Arua City have set a strict condition requiring parents to pay at least 50% of the total school fees before learners are allowed into class.
 
The head teacher of Micu Secondary School, Mr. Taziano, explained that this is a critical term where schools expect minimal fee balances at the end, hence the need to enforce the policy. "We are aware of the parent’s economic status, we encourage them to at least pay 75% as the first installment then the other balance will be paid later. And in any case a parent is unable to pay the 75%, we also accept 60% but at least what is important is when a child comes back, something little has to be paid" Taziano explained.
 
However, the director of Ragem Technical School Francis Omoo noted that, their learners will be allowed to report during the first week, saying this will help in proper planning and smooth management of the school term. "School fees payment is very paramount because it helps the institution operate but as an institution like Arua Technical Institute Ragem, we first expect the learners to first report, from there the period of the week we shall then start looking into other issues and see how they can be addressed," Francis revealed.
 
Alice Onega, a parent at Niva cell, appealed to school administrators to show compassion to learners instead of focusing entirely on money. "Some school heads don’t want children to attend classes in the first week without money, which is a big challenge to us. They should also understand our struggles. We will eventually pay their dues. I also appeal to the government to clearly explain the meaning of Universal Primary Education, because many primary schools are still charging high fees," she said.
 
Zilly Buza, the Senior Inspector of Schools in Arua City, cautioned school heads against imposing such tough conditions, while at the same time urging parents to show commitment by engaging with school administrations. "Unless for the private schools but for public schools, those conditions should not be there but my communication to parents is that, those in the private schools where you are unable, you have to reach the schools and commit yourself to the school administrators." Zilly urged.
 
The Government of Uganda recently announced a major reform in the management of school fees for public institutions, effective July 1st. Under the new arrangement, all fees and related charges will be collected through a consolidated fund managed by the Uganda Revenue Authority, in a bid to curb unauthorized charges by schools.