Gone are the days when schools demanded for a broom or one ream of paper and parents complained. Schools have elevated their taste like a village chic after joining the university. They are going for the big fish! It seems they realised they were “playing in money”.
Trapped by the desire of the proverbial “bright future” for their children, schools are playing right into the fears, speculations and insecurities of the parents and guardians. With no government regulation on school tuition, proprietors of schools are enjoying a field day charging exorbitant fees and making unbelievable demands all in the name of “bad economy”. These are some of them.
Bags of cement
Most schools in and around Kampala have made it a point that every student reports with at least two bags of cement in disguise of part developing their infrastructures. You can imagine how many bags they can collect from only one class which has about 70 students. Most likely destination is the headmaster’s hardware shop where those who have not bought are referred to.
Staff rent
While a parent is grappling with his own rent issues, some schools are now also charging staff rent fee for teachers who in most cases are living in staff quarters
Entrance fee
I don’t know what this means but a school was charging over Shs. 340K. At this rate schools might soon charge breathing fees.
Church fee
God is watching!! Thanks for this charge as well!
Reams of papers
Gone are those fair days when pupils were asked to report with a ream. Today some schools ask for dozens of reams.Guess where most ends up…..at a stationery! One parent who wrote labelled reams of paper with names of his child later found the reams at a stationary in Nasser.
Rolls of toilet papers
Pupils are now expected to report to school with dozens of toilet paper inciting questions like “will the pupils spend most of their prep time on long calls?”
Uniform worth 400K
A trouser in a boutique might cost Shs. 50K,shirt 30k and belt 25K but nobody knows how these tailored uniforms are way far more expensive
Admission fees
Most of the schools have hiked their admission fees with some charging over Shs. 500K .It can be easy to assume that this would help them to pay rent for their shops.
Commitment fees
Schools have introduced a new policy of charging pupils at the time right from the time of picking vacancies. Commitment fee is not the admission fee but it guarantees a student that a vacancy will be kept for him/her until he comes for admission different schools have different commitment fee charges.
Generator fee/ Yaka maintenance
Pupils have also been tasked to clear generator/ Yaka maintanence fees separately and strictly on their reporting days and you wonder.
Although government considers the prevailing economic situation as the cause for increase in school fees and other basic requirements.
Ladies and gentlemen, schools are the new birth control pills.
