President Yoweri Museveni has accused the elites in his government for making free education not fully operational with selfish interests of wanting to extort money from the poor parents.
Speaking during the NRM retreat in Kyankwanzi, Museveni applauded the new NRM MPs elect for agreeing with him to fight for free education.
“Thank you so much. These headmasters and the local elites want to get money from the parents. They don’t care about whether the students go to school or not,” said Museveni.
The president ‘attacked’ the National Unity Platform (NUP) saying it emerged because of increase in the rate of school dropouts.
“When the children drop out, that is how you get the NUP,” he said.
NUP is a youth dominated party that emerged towards the 2021 elections and its led by Bobi Wine real name Robert Kyagulanyi.
After being declared winner of the January 14, 2021, Museveni vowed to use the new term to ensure education at primary and secondary level is totally free for the poor.
“When you are driving from here (Rwakitura) to Kampala, that road is free, nobody is charged on the way. That is how education should be; it should be free. That is what we wanted to do, but because the elite are not convinced about our mass line when we say free education, they go down there and say ‘bring money’. Therefore, what was supposed to be free education ends up being subsidised education,” Museveni said.
He added, “But when you subsidise, what happens when someone cannot top up? That is how the children leave school. And you can see this in the figures. There are 10.7 million children in the primary school and in the secondary and post-secondary (institutions), there are only three million children (studying). The question is: where did the seven million go? They were barred by the money. So, in this Kisanja (new term), it will have to be free education, completely free.”