By Clare N
Parents in Kabarole have joined parents elsewhere in Uganda to send back their children to schools despite hardships in putting together the required school dues.
This follows the presidential directive of ending the world’s ever longest school closure resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic. The rush to open schools yesterday has left some Parents wondering where to get the school dues attributing the concern to Covid 19 pandemic and its effects. Though happy for their children’s fate of going back to school, parents are still struggling to obtain funds to facilitate hiked fees and requirements for their children.
Robert Rukya a parent who hails from Kidukuru is glad to have taken back his children to school safely but notes that reporting back to school has somewhat been delayed despite Covid.Rukya thanks schools that are lenient to parents financially like St.Mary’s minor Seminary Virika adding that getting fees is not easy and has used the little saving as his first installment for his children at school.
John Mugume(Anonymous) Says that it’s a pity some schools in Fort portal have defied the presidential directive of maintaining the pre-lockdown fees and are hiking it the more. He requests schools that have done it to consider the hard situations that they as parents are going through, but also notes that parents should hustle harder and avoid going empty handed because schools have to survive.
In an interview with one of the private school leaders, a one Sr Judith Kenkimba Head teacher St Mary Goretti in Virika, affirmed to our reporter that their school has set a plan to empathises with their parents through reducing on the dues and allow parents to ably provide requirements to their children, after understanding the available financial situation and as a way to pave way for students to continue with their respective studies.
John C Muyingo the state minister for higher education stated that any private schools demanding for fees above Pre-pandemic rates will be sanctioned.
Meanwhile, about 15 million students have not attended schools since March 2020 and 30% may not return back after world’s longest school closure due to fees challenges, child labour and teenage pregnancies, authorities have warned.
