KAMPALA–Democratic Party president Norbert Mao has slammed government’s directive on stopping private schools from increasing fees, saying Uganda is a free market economy that allows free competition.
Mao was addressing a weekly press briefing in Kampala on Tuesday.
“I don’t think President Museveni would allow me set prices for his milk in Rwakitura. It would be gross interference,” Mao said.
Mao’s remarks follow guidelines issued by the Education ministry last week, barring government and private schools from increasing fees in 2018 without a written authorization from the ministry.
According to the guidelines, the ministry said it had noted with concern the unrealistic and prohibitive school fees which they said denies access to basic and secondary education to a number of learners, thereby compromising government objective of providing affordable education for all and increasing equitable access to primary and post primary education.
The DP president general advised government to invest more into public schools so as to wade off the competition from private schools.
“Government is being hypocritical by dictating fees for schools in a free market economy. Let them improve funding and facilitation for public schools,” he said.
