There is an outcry in schools over fees defaulting especially in candidate classes. Some head teachers say that they allow students who have not completed fees payments to sit their final exams but because these students are able to access their results from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) through digital systems, unlike before, it becomes difficult for the schools to recover their money from the students.
Some head teacher now suggest that the Ministry of Education and Sports should come up with regulations through which parents and students who don’t pay fees on time are handled to enable schools effectively claim their money.
They suggest that parents should deposit securities such as land titles which the schools can takeover in case of fees defaulting.
Paying fees on time enables schools to run more efficiently. They are able to purchase what they need, pay teachers on time, and even effect their development plans.
Over the years, however, education has been highly commercialised. The rate at which schools are increasing fees is alarming. Much as the schools want to be helped, parents and students also need help.
The public has been crying out to the government to regulate school fees but the government has paid a deaf ear.
The schools that are known to perform well in exams are also usually the most expensive. When they increase fees parents find themselves entrapped because they want good grades for their children.
This cry from the head teachers is an opportunity for the government to look into the school fees issues and come up with regulations that work for the schools as well as for the parents.
These regulations should ensure that schools are affordable, and school dues are paid in a way that if convenient for both the schools and the parents.
