A host of parents and head teachers across the country are at loggerheads after schools increased fees and imposed emergency post-lockdown charges ahead of the planned reopening of schools next Monday.

Some parents with learners in Senior Two, who had already paid fees before the president closed schools in June 2021, are now being asked to top up and others Daily Monitor interviewed were considering withdrawing their children.

Senior Two students had reported for less than two weeks before schools were closed again for the second hard lockdown in June last year.

The parents caught in the fees dilemma, particularly those with learners in Senior Five (now promoted to Senior Six), say their children studied for one week and they were denied the opportunity to complete the term because some schools such as Seeta High were turned into Uneb marking centres.

“The school owner entered into another business deal of marking after collecting parents’ money, painfully paid as school fees, and before students could get the intended purpose for the money,” a parent at Seeta High Schools said.
Some parents say they were asked to pay for online classes and they are wondering what happened to the fees they had paid.

The complaints follow a directive made by the Education and Sports Minister, Ms Janet Museveni, last year in December, discouraging schools against increasing fees since many families are financially stressed.

Ms Museveni had emphasised that students of Senior Two class of 2020 who had fully paid-up school fees should not pay first term’s fees when they report back.

King’s College Budo in its Term One school circular asked parents with students in specific classes for top-up money to recover their resources depleted during the Covid-19 pandemic after constructing both the perimetre fence and head teacher’s house. Senior Two and Three will pay Shs844,000 while Senior Four and Six will pay Shs988,000.

A section of parents have gone the extra mile of creating WhatsApp groups and organising Zoom meetings for consultations on how to proceed with what they have called illegal. The uproar has already forced some schools to hold staff meetings to address the parents’ concerns.

“We had an administrative meeting following the outpouring (fees) issues and resolved to meet the affected parents. The matter is going to be handled,” Mr Davis Kafumbe, the Principal of Seeta School, told Daily Monitor last week.
The State Minister for Higher Education, Mr John Chrysostom Muyingo, who last week promised to investigate schools over increasing fees without authority, doubles as the director of Seeta High Schools. The minister assured aggrieved parents in an interview with Daily Monitor yesterday that they will not be increasing tuition.

“There is a lot of misinformation making rounds. We are abiding by the Minister’s (Ms Museveni’s) statement and I don’t see Seeta High (Schools) increasing school fees,” Mr Muyingo said.
In Gulu, the management of Hider Nursery and Primary School said parents will have to pay an additional Shs44,000 for Covid-related items.

In Lira District, Ms Dorothy Angweri, a parent, said her son is this year joining Primary Seven at Mantle Boarding Primary School, Lira City, but the school is demanding that they clear school fees of Shs542, 500 during the first week of the term.

“I am in a very difficult financial situation. I am facing pressure from school fees while also being urged by my loan officer to clear all pending balances by January,” Ms Angweri said.

Mr Alfred Muno, the director of Mantle Boarding Primary School, however, said: “Those who are not able to clear all the fees on time will be given an additional two weeks by the administration to at least deposit some money.”
In Kisoro District, the director of Vision Secondary School, Mr Dan Munyambabazi, said all learners at his school must pay school fees because the Ministry of Education increased days in the term from 85 to 100 days which makes it expensive for the school.

“At my school, school fees is only Shs400,000 and if the students do not pay, I will not be able to meet the costs such as paying teachers and utilities such as electricity and water,” he said.

In Fort Portal, Mr John Tusiime, a parent,  said the head teacher of the school where he plans to take his son notified him that they will pay an additional 150,000 for students who were in Senior Two before schools were closed.

In a December 30 circular, Tororo Girls School set Term One 2022 fees for S.2 at Shs845,600, S.3 (198,000), S.4 and S.6 (846,600). Ms Helen Wataba, the head teacher, asked parents to clear previous outstanding fees .

She also asked parents to ensure that students test for Covid-19 before reporting, bring four reusable facemasks, immune boosters and an unspecified amount (of pocket money) for fruits, among others.

Mr Henry Juuko, a parent of a learner at Masindi Mixed Secondary School in Masindi, said told this publication that  they were given assurance by school management that students who had paid school fees earlier will not pay again.
The head teacher of Kigezi High School in Kabale Town, Mr Abraham Akampurira, said he was still making consultations with fellow staff to find out whether learners who were in Senior Two should pay school fees or not.

The head teacher for St Mary’s College Rushoroza in Kabale District, Mr Remegio Byamukama, said all Senior Two learners that had paid fees before the lockdown was announced will be exempted from payment.

Ms Dorothy Matovu, the head teacher of Trinity College, Nabbingo, she said in a circular last week that the 2020 Senior Two learners who are joining Senior Three will only carry personal requirements and will not be subjected to paying extra fees.

Some of the parents with students in these respective classes claim the school administrations had previously notified them not to pay fees during this year’s first term. However, things have changed after recently being urged to also pay fees.

Mr Muyingo said this issue can be resolved through dialogue .

“Let the parents, guardians and school administrations sort out some of the nitty gritty issues so that learners can proceed with their academics. Children should not be kept out of school because of such confusion,” Mr Muyingo said.

The State Minister for Higher Education, Mr John Chrysostom Muyingo, said: “When you ask the head teachers (whether they are increasing fees), they are instead denying. As a ministry, we shall best analyse the situation once the schools reopen before taking appropriate actions.”

“What is complicating matters is that there has been a lot of confusion on studies during the past two academic years and that is why the Ministry came out with a position that binds everybody.”

Ms Joyce Moriku Kaducu, State Minister for Primary Education, said: “Some of the schools need to be human. How do you want to make gains without looking at clearly what parents went through during the pandemic? If there are schools that are doing this out there, we shall not just close our eyes.”  ‘‘On what disciplinary action will be taken against schools increasing fees, Ms Kaducu said they have not concluded on the final punishments and for this reason, cannot mention them out bluntly in the media.’’

Marking Centres
Last year, forty schools, which were mapped as marking Centres for Uneb exams were also affected. Some students from Senior One, Three and Five were sent home so as to allow the marking exercise of the 2020/2021 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) and Uneb examinations to proceed uninterrupted.

Compiled by Esther Oluka, Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Felix Ainebyoona, Jessica Sabano, Fred Wambede, Bill Oketch, Patrick Ebong, Tobbias Jolly Owiny, Joseph Kiggundu, Robert Muhereza, Alex Ashaba, Ismail Bategeka.