KAMPALA – The speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has summoned the education minister, the First Lady Janet Museveni to brief Parliament on the issue of school fees structure in government-aided schools.
Kadaga made the ruling during the 11th sitting of the third Parliamentary meeting on Thursday.
Mukono south MP, Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga informed the MPs that the matter of school fees structure has never been resolved because the education minister has never come out to clear the air.
“Holiday is over and as per your directive the minister has never come here to clear the matter and yet school starts Monday. It bothers us that these schools are charging like private schools and its worrying,” Muyanja said.
The speaker said that the issue has been on the Order paper to close for two months saying that the minister should appear before Parliament on Tuesday and explain.
The legislator was supported by MP Kilak South, Gilbert Olanya who added that similiarly in Gulu district, students were given circulars indicating that they were to pay shs 520,000 compared to last year shs 300,000,adding that this absurd because these government aided schools are over charging parents and the issue should be addressed.
Last year, The Education and Sports Committee of Parliament heared a petition challenging the exorbitant fees charged in government schools.
In February 2017, the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), a civil Society organisation- CSO petitioned Kadaga protesting the high fees in schools.
Appearing before the education committee, ISER officials, led by the executive director Salima Namusobya appealed to MPs to expedite the inquiry before next year when schools open for the first term.
The CSOs presented to the committee the general fees structure for various government aided schools which charge 800,000 to 1.8 million shillings.
