PARENTS TASKED TO PAY SCHOOL FEES AND SUPPORT SKILLING THEIR CHILDREN

Parents attending PTA meeting at Aripea secondary school. (All photos by Erema George)

By Erema George

Arua City

Parents of students of Aripea secondary school in Terego District have been rallied to support the education of their children through school fees payment and particularly supporting them in gaining skills through the ongoing skills training program at the school.

During an extra ordinary Parents Teachers Association Meeting organized at the school, different stakeholders urged that supporting the students in their studies and in acquiring skills makes them more valuable than relying on the formal education alone.

Aripea secondary school currently has a skills training initiative being implemented under a capacity building organization for small and medium entrepreneurship and skill support, COSMESS.

However, according to Bernard Aguta the head teacher of the school, parents of the school do not support much in either of these areas, describing it as a very huge problem.

“Here we have a very huge problem, more so our parents actually do not pay school fees, and they don’t understand why school fee is paid and they don’t pay the small school fees in time” Aguta complained.

Bernard Aguta, the Head teacher of Aripea SS.

Addressing the parents, Aciga Patrick Kareayi, the COSMESS area manager for West Nile urged the parents to embrace skilling their children in order to move with the ever-changing working environment rather than depend on formal education alone.

“The vision of Uganda 2040 is that all children by that time should be skilled. You are riding boda boda, you should be skilled, you are doing anything like bakery-you must be skilled. Aciga explained. “If you look at our time, you realize that after finishing senior four, you are sitting at home there, you cannot do anything.” He added calling the parents to support their children to move out of the era.

COSMESS regional manager, Aciga Patrick Kareayi addressing parents during the PTA meeting at the school.

Meanwhile Sanctus Adiga, the PTA chairperson of Aripea S.S noted that giving a chance for children to acquire skills sets them for self-reliance as it equips them fully.

“You know when you give a child a chance to get skills training, the child will go home fully equipped after senior four as he or she keeps waiting for the next level. He or she will keep on supporting himself other than depending on the parents.” Adiga emphasized while encouraging parents to prioritize skills training.

Skills training enhance specific competencies—ranging from vocational trades to digital literacy—to improve employability and job performance.