SCHOOL FEES DISPARITIES WORRY URBAN REFUGEES IN ARUA CITY

Refugees while discusssing human rights at the dialogue at Arua City  council hall.

By Anslem Ojaru

Arua City

Urban Refugees in Arua city have raised alarm over the high school charges levied on them in some schools.

This was a point during human rights dialogue held in Arua city where most of them shared experiences of paying unequal fees with the Nationals.

Yakani Isaac Charles one of the refugees in Arua city expressed his dismay over the high charges imposed on the refugee students.

“How does the practice of charging refugee students higher fees as international students align with Uganda’s constitutional guarantee for equality for all individuals, doesn’t this practice discriminate against refugee students who are vulnerable and displaced?” 
 
Amos Kwaje a refugee student says that they need orientation on fees disparities in the schools.

“I understand that there is a government programme called USE but now as refugee, as a non-citizen I don’t think that we are part of the programme, that’s why those variations come in but some schools take advantage of that, so as refugees if we can be well oriented along that area and know that this is the specific reason as to why we are paying like this.”   

George Adima working at the Norwegian Refugee council clarified the variations in school fees payment.

“Most of the schools are under private entities so this means they are business institutions in Uganda, the USE and UPE are functionally for nationals alone and this started when refugees were not yet encompassed in Uganda, so you find that it brings some differences in fees payment, refugees are supposed to be considered as refugees but not international students.”  

According to the education response plan for refugees and host communities in Uganda, The government has been granting refugees and asylum seekers access to the same rights as its citizens including the right to education.
 

Participant in a group photo after the dialogue in Arua city.