Traditional schools threaten to go private over new ‘no fees’ policy
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Loading... - Leyla Rashidi
- 03 Apr 2023
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The major foundation bodies of government-aided schools have warned they will go private should the government fail to reverse what they consider a drastic decision regarding the no fees policy. This comes days after cabinet resolved to eliminate all fees for learners in public and government-aided primary and secondary schools.
This decision was aimed at addressing the issue of exhorbitant fees charged by the schools despite the substantial government investment. The government’s decision to eliminate fees from public and government-aided schools is consistent with the ruling party’s aspiration of providing free education to Ugandan children.
To achieve this goal, the government has warned foundation bodies that they must accept this policy and implement it in their schools, or risk losing government funding. The decision has not gone down well with the foundation bodies. Sheikh Juma Bakhit Cucu, the Education Secretary at Uganda Muslim Supreme Council-UMSC, says that while they support the idea of reducing school fees, the government’s approach to the matter is insufficient.
“We have all been here, and we know why school charge these fees. Government should address those underlying factors before making any pronouncements. Otherwise the schools will fail,” he said. Sheikh Bahiti also noted that many Muslim schools in Uganda offer a dual curriculum consisting of secular and Islamic education.
He said that while the government provides funding for secular education, it does not provide any support for Islamic education. “Therefore, if the government were to prohibit fees for Islamic education, it would defeat the purpose of establishing such Muslim schools in the first place,” he said. He explained that if government insists on this move before addressing their concerns, they will be left with no option other than running their schools privately.
Sheikh Cucu was also concerned that the decision was made at the cabinet level without consulting the foundation bodies as stakeholders. He pointed out that the Minister had later acknowledged that the government would be consulting with the foundation bodies soon after making the pronouncement.
Church of Uganda warns
The Provincial Secretary of Church of Uganda, Rev Canon William Ongeng also expressed his concerns, saying that unless the government increases funding to schools to match the market demands, the decision to eliminate fees will only lead to a further decline in the quality of education provided by UPE and USE schools.
Rev Canon Ongeng stated that the inadequate funding towards the education sector is evident in the meager salaries given to teachers, lack of staff quarters, and insufficient classrooms in many schools across the country. Read More…
