On Monday, the State ordered multitudes of students back to school following two years of schools being closed due to the Covid 19 pandemic. However, the reopening of schools has come with a widespread outcry by parents due to the astronomical school fees.
However, according to facts unearthed by the Daily Monitor Newspaper, a section of school proprietors in Kampala and Luwero have devised new fees payment schedules that will see parents pay as low as Shs 1,000 per day.
This comes in as a fresh development aimed at catering for parents who are unable to pay fees in one go given the current economic hardships caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a conversation with the Daily Monitor, Ronald Ndaula, the proprietor of Everest Primary School and Everest College said that all schools would prefer full school fees payment on the very first day learner report to school but many parents are financially hard up.
“No school proprietor would be happy to receive the school fees in bits at a time when the parents and the entire economy are struggling,” he noted.
“At Everest schools, we negotiate with the parents to try and find the most flexible means where they can pay school fees. This is a piloted option where we are trying to help the parents. The fees payment will not be a surprise once the parents agree,’ he hence added.
David Ssentongo, the proprietor of Grace Intel Schools, located in Buziga, said the school directors fronted the idea out of empathy for the parents.
“It is true that you possibly came across our flier indicating that the parents can opt for a daily school fees payment scheme that will be optional. Our parents are not at the same level in an economy that is struggling. We are in consultation with the Ministry of Education to see how this plan can be rolled out,” Mr. Ssentongo explained.
THE Education ministry spokesperson, Dennis Mugimba, said the ministry was yet to be notified about the arrangements.
“The ministry does not prescribe how much is paid as school fees for any school but the fees payment plan should be done in consultation with the parents,” he said.
“The option should be undertaken in consultation with the district education office and the chief administrative officer for the lower sections while the secondary schools will have to seek the guidance of the ministry of education permanent secretary,” he added.