The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has directed the Ministry of Education and Sports to institute powerful sanctions against schools that are charging exorbitant school fees.
The matter landed itself on the floor of Parliament after several complaints from the public with a section of people accusing government of keeping a deaf ear as school proprietors are busy cheating them.
During the plenary on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, the Deputy Speaker said parliament has extensively handled the matter on schools fees but “the situation seems to be getting worse”.
“There are very many complaints regarding fees circulars from various schools including Government and private schools that has been discussed from this House. I have seen several circulars including some from Government schools with regard to that matter, which Parliament gave very clear directives, but the situation seems to be getting worse and some of the school fees being charged are totally prohibitive,” said Tayebwa.
He expressed concern about the significant variations in school fees charged by different institutions leading to hardships for parents and students.
Tayebwa has since directed the Ministry of Education and Sports to present a statement on punitive measures being put on schools that have defied government directives on fees.
Currently, many schools in Uganda both public and private have been levying school fees without such regulations, something that has put a toll on the income of many parents.
Although the government is implementing Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE), some of the public schools continue to charge high fees.