By Monica Kobusiinge
Kampala: The Minister of State for Education, Hon. Joyce Moriku has reassured Members of Parliament that government has developed a statutory instrument to regulate school fees and other school related matters.
She was responding to a matter of national importance raised by Hon. Samuel Opio (Indep., Kole North County) during plenary sitting on 16 August 2022.
The MP who was concerned about the plan by schools to increase fees, called for government intervention.
“The schools’ conference is planning to increase school fees in the third term as a result of increased prices of essential commodities. Earlier on, we had that there were plans to lay statutory instruments to regulate school fees,” he said.
He warned that increasing school fees will further affect the enrolment of learners, which is already very low.
“Government should come up with measures to enhance secondary school education in the country. As we speak right now, only 27.3 per cent are enrolled,” Opio said.
Moriku said that the statutory instrument is ready and it is being reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
“In the meantime, there are procedures in the ministry for any school to increase fees and this is done through the boards of governor and the school management committees,” she said.
She added that ’the issue is real and increment is real but as a ministry, we are already taking measures to ensure that fees are within the framework for parents as approved by boards or school management committees’.
Tororo District Woman MP, Hon. Sarah Opendi however, urged the Committee on Education to expedite presentation of a report on financing of government aided schools.
“I brought a motion here in February and the matter was referred to the Committee on Education. It is high time this Parliament sat and agreed. We would rather stop grant aiding these schools and send the money to seed schools,” she said.
