LED by their Chairman John Tumwesigye (MP Bunyaruguru), MPs sitting on the Education Affairs Committee have this Wednesday castigated the Education Ministry for failing to adequately regulate and supervise the education sector.
The MPs were meeting to formally receive a petition from Kole North MP Samuel Opio Acuti protesting the liberty with which thousands of GoU granted-aided schools have been increasing school fees to the extreme detriment of parents have who already many other economic pressures to contend with.
The petitioner, aided by other MPs, listed some of the schools frustrating Education Minister Janet Museveni who they demanded must begin to personally appear before the Committee without fail or else they exercise their powers to her own detriment. Some of the schools that were named as problematic and likely to cause problems for First Lady Janet Museveni included Namilyango College, St. Mary’s College Kisubi, Gayaza High School, Nabisunsa Girls, Kibuli SSS, Kawempe Muslims, St. Joseph Nagalama, Kings College Budo and others.
In his petition, Acuti claimed that some of these schools had violated both the Constitution and the Education Act which make education a right implying it must be equitably affordable and available to all who qualify and not just the rich.
That on average, it annually costs between Shs5.7m and Shs8m to educate a child at any of these schools yet its much cheaper to educate a child at Makerere on some of the most prestigious courses such as Pharmacy, Medicine or even Engineering.
Acuti explained that the impugned prohibitive school fees structure, which has continued to be increased even after the education Ministry had in January issued a circular prohibiting such exploitation, is the reason only 27.3% of the children aged 13-18 are enrolling in school as the others are kept away because of the high school fees being charged inspite of the USE program which entitles all Ugandan children access to free education in government schools.
That this is how many young girls and boys end up going to be enslaved in Arab countries where their body organs end up being forcefully harvested.
Quoting a UBOS report, Acuti asserted that its only Kampala which has 50% of the children (13-18 years) supposed in secondary school being there.
The rest of the Ugandan districts have less that 50% enrolling for the secondary level and 80% for primary.
The MP said, since the GoU is the one which pays teachers in those schools, there is no justifiable explanation for the insensitive increase of school fees.
The MPs implored Janet Kataha Museveni (the education Minister) to assert herself under S29 of the Education Act and expel all School Management Committee and Board of Governors members who are behind the rampant fees increase contrary to her own Ministry’s circular prohibiting the same.
These same schools receive statutory grants from the GoU and even scholastic materials besides teachers’ salaries.
The MPa also argued that part of the problem emanates from the very limiting way in which the Education Act defines basic education whereby it leaves out secondary education yet the same is included in the UNESCO definition.
Whereas Kibuli SS and Nabisunsa were faulted for unreasonably increasing 3rd term fees by Shs700,000 and Shs500,000 respectively; Gayaza High and St. Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK) were blamed for selfishly exploiting the already struggling parents through an ambiguous fees structure.
That Gayaza’s (Shs2,374,000) fees strucrure has 17 items including Shs598,000 designated as BoG fees which MPs dismissed as extortionist.
The school has over 1,000 students bringing the extorted total amount per term to not less than Shs598m!
The other item relates to the Shs365,000 which is designated as entrance fees for S1s.
The MPs demanded that this must be promptly abolished because any child who scores 4 aggregates for instance already qualifies for entry into the school.
Acuti demanded that entry qualifications should strictly be restricted to academic excellence and the entire committee agreed asserting this must become the position of Parliament.
The MPs also, at length, inquired into SMACK which some said requires its own separate inquiry.
That the school fees structure (Shs2,643,000) is not only higher than what Makerere University charges but also comprises of 28 items which are aimed at maximizing exploitation of parents.
The MPs also wondered why mere school uniform should be charged at Shs455,000 which one of them sarcastically said is even more than what an average 11th Parliament legislator spends on purchase of his suit.
The MPs also wondered why parents aren’t allowed the option of buying uniform somewhere else so as to access cheaper sources.
They also questioned why development fees is charged as different from renovation fees yet they both relate to infrastructure development.
That students are also forced to buy textbooks authored by specific authors who happen to be teachers at the same school.
The legislators also questioned delegated services which turn the school into a money collection agent for 3rd party persons or entities.
The petitioner Acuti specifically demanded to know why a total of Shs2,850,000 is being charged to the voiceless parents (at SMACK) per term yet the real school fees is just Shs55,000.
Another MP, who described himself as a parent who always keeps a low profile in PTA meetings at the School so as to be able to get classified information for the Committee, demanded that Parliament also inquires into questionable procurements at SMACK.
That the school is always undertaking mega construction projects yet the manner in which materials and contractors are procured doesn’t comply with any procurement laws and regulations.
Another MP demanded tough action on Kings College Budo whose fees-related exploitation he said is in most cases orchestrated by fellow parents who constitute the PTA executive committee.
He said its these who connive in most cases to increase school fees so as to rip off fellow parents.
The Budo parent caused laughter when he said: “I have been able to gather a lot of information about fraud at that school because in parents meetings, I’m always quiet and nobody knows that I’m an MP.”
Some MPs, especially those from upcountry districts, demanded that the government grants immediately be withdrawn from such elite schools around the Kampala Metropolitan area so that the same resources can be reallocated to poor schools upcountry which are struggling and don’t have the privilege to charge such high fees.
The MPs insisted that Parliament must decisively act and now because the much exploited parents are now clearly on their own.
They demanded to know why the education Minister Janet Museveni doesn’t act against junior Ministers and Commissioners at the Ministry who own schools and are naturally always out to frustrate government policy against the charging of high fees.
They also castigated the First Lady for doing nothing when schools are defying a clear circular her Ministry issued in January prohibiting fees increases.
The likes of Macho and MP Bwatekamwa Gafa prompted the lest of the Committee to conclude that its Janet’s silence and inaction that has emboldened schools like Kibuli and Nabisunsa to come up with such selfish increase of fees without consulting parents or seeking permission from the Ministry.
However,we have learnt that the MoES gave a controversial waiver to Kibuli SS on grounds the school had taken 10 years without increasing fees.
The MPs asserted this impunity must immediately be stopped because many parents are too poor currently they can’t even feed their families.
One of the MPs wondered why Janet can tolerate schools in famine-hit districts like Moroto and Kotido to increase fees when parents are dying of hunger implying they are too poor to afford a meal.
That in Uganda, most families survive on less than Shs200,000 which comes to Shs2.4m a year, according to the UBOS report which MPs kept quoting from implying there is no way the population can afford such expensive education moreover in government-aided schools.
The MPs also demanded action against Board of Governors members who they said are the biggest problem.
Kawempe Muslims SS was faulted for charging high feeding fees with MP Macho demanding to know the country from which the school imports such very expensive food.
That Janet must also whip the DEOs in the districts to stop sleeping on the job.
Busia Municipality MP Geoffrey Macho said time had come for the Education Committee to begin acting tough and ensuring that sector leader Janet Museveni personally appears before the Committee as opposed to sending Commissioners and State Ministers.
That only her personal appearance before the Committee will assure MPs that the NRM government has the political will to sort out the mess in the education sector while making access to secondary education equitable and more inclusive.
Macho, whose suggestions were unanimously accepted by the NRM-dominated Committee, also demanded that the Committee begins to go to the field as opposed to specializing on armchair investigations.
It was agreed MPs must go to the field and directly interact with members of school management Committees and Governing Boards plus other stakeholders.
It will also be an opportunity for them to have a look at the infrastructure over which parents are being charged lots of money every term as opposed to payment of such development fees being a one off activity.
MPs with children at Namilyango accused the school of using the famous ‘Namilyango pyramid (whatever that means)’ to impose extortionist fees.
Despite being NRM, John Tumwesigye the Committee Chairman only made things even more complicated for NRM owner’s wife Janet Museveni.
He said where things had reached, Janet must exhibit leadership to shield parents many of whom he said are running mad because of the fatigue resulting from school fees-related debts.
He suggested that if Janet continues failing to lead effectively, the Committee should urge Parliament to step in and take charge since the Speaker Anita Among says the 11th Parliament is meant to be a pro-people legislature.
The Committee Chairman added that the problem isn’t only limited to schools around Kampala because even Ntare School, where President Museveni studied from, is equally involved in exploiting the already struggling parents.
The Chairman added that it’s shameful for the Ministry of Education to remain silent when their 11th January 2022 circular, prohibiting hiking of school fees, gets defied by School Management Committees and BoGs members.
John Tumwesigye caused laughter when he revealed that several MPs, who are parents also, had been to his home demanding action by the Committee on schools that are strangling parents yet they are already government-aided.
He specifically said he has a lot of irrefutable evidence about both Kibuli SS and Nabisunsa.
He suggested the Committee acts very fast because many parents are increasingly becoming nervous as the country prepares to re-open for 3rd term on Monday. He registered his full support for Macho’s proposal to have Janet Museveni personally come to face the Committee as opposed to delegating State Ministers or mere Commissioners.
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