The government of Uganda through the Ministry of Education and Sports has released a statement to schools stopping them from charging “development fees”
Over a long period of time now, in Uganda, most private schools have been charging various fees according to how they deem fit. You have schools charging “Generator fees” and these are meant to cater for the fuel of the generator or its maintenance, you have “church fees” fees for the needy, health insurance fees, and so many other fees. By the way, these Fees are not unique to schools, they are also found in churches and mosques. However, in the latest communication from the government, such fees should be stopped with immediate effect.”
“Development fees” can loosely be defined as that money which is paid to the school in order for it to come up with new projects or developments at the school premises or even somewhere else but all in the interest of the school. In this case, a school might come up with a project and share it with the parents and thereafter set up a certain fee that should be paid by every pupil or student in that school for a given period of time. This money is far different from the school fees and the two don’t mix. In some schools, you are even given two different bank slips to pay development fees separately from school fees.
Primary School pupils attending class
This idea of “Project fees” started with private schools many years back because many of the proprietors lacked enough Capital to develop their schools and so they needed help from parents to further these projects. The projects set up by schools are so many and quite endless and range from buying a school bus, constructing of a new classroom block, building new laboratories, and dormitories, building a house for the school chaplain, buying a computer, textbooks starting a library, and so forth.
An example is that a school might want to buy a new school bus as it’s a new project and so they will tell parents that each student should pay at least 10,000 shillings per term. After a certain period of time, and getting the desired amount, the school can buy that bus.
These projects continue to go on in schools even today but have been received with mixed feelings overtime by parents and students as much as they are good for the well-being of the school, they also have disadvantages tied to them and they include these;
These school projects are too expensive. You might find a school charging 100,000 shillings for a certain project. This is a lot of money given that a parent has already paid full school fees. These double charges always annoy parents and are not fair at all.
Most school projects never end at all. In some cases, a school headmaster might start a project and collect money from parents year in and year out, even when the required amount is got, the school head doesn’t stop collecting development fees. As the school gets enough money to construct a dormitory block, they then open up another fresh project of buying land for a school farm. So parents get trapped in the labyrinth of constantly funding unending school projects. This therefore also indirectly becomes a permanent fee.
Ketty Lamaro, the Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry of Education and Sports says that in many cases, children can even complete their academics in that school without seeing these projects being unveiled. This is so sad because it is as if students are contributing money to start projects which will be enjoyed by totally different students and so one would wonder why they would pay these fees.
I believe that whenever school owners ask for these development fees without ending, it is as if they are neglecting the duties of developing their own schools and then heap the burden onto the parents. I mean if we have paid the full school fees stipulated by the school management, why then do I still need to go ahead and pay money to help you build a new school library? I mean this is purely the role of the school head, not the parents!!!
