The Democratic Party (DP) has advised the Government to come up with a policy setting minimum and maximum limits schools should charge as fees from parents. This, they say would help curb “exorbitant” fees charged by schools, especially those which are privately owned.

Addressing journalists at their headquarters at City House in Kampala on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) president Ismail Kirya said the current open-ended policy adopted by schools, leaves a big vacuum for school owners to exploit parents some of whom he said are vulnerable.

He explained that as schools opened for the first term on Monday, parents were busy pleading for mercy in different offices. This, he said, affects learners’ psychology which, according to him later accounts for poor performance in schools.

“Private schools play an important role in the academia but should be regulated on the charges so as not to exit the line. It is unfair to charge a parent shilling five million per child and yet there is no accountability of what happens with the money collected,” Kirya said.

He demanded that the fees limits be marched with Government expectations from schools. This, he said, would ensure academic excellence in the country, given the fact that schools shall be made to deliver to the expectations.

“The fees required should rhyme with what the school can produce. Some schools charge exorbitantly, yet they deliver half-baked results. That tendency should be checked by the Government,” Kirya said.

Last year, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among called for the establishment of a policy to harmonise school fees in the country.

During plenary in March, the Speaker expressed concern about the significant variations in school fees charged by different institutions leading to hardships for parents and students.  

Among said the current lack of regulation has resulted in schools setting their fees arbitrarily, leading to significant disparities across the education sector beyond what parents can afford.

She called for an urgent policy to harmonise school fees and promote access to education for all.

“The harmonisation of school fees would create a leveled playing field and ensure that no student is denied access to education due to unaffordable fees,” she said.