20101010
This Day

Government will consider suspending the free primary education programme if parents continue to yield to pressure from head teachers' to pay extra fees, President Museveni has warned.



Mr Museveni said accepting to pay extra fees was an indication that parents can now meet all the educational needs of their children.

"When we talk about free education we mean it. We don't want to see people confusing others. So if parents are now capable of footing all the education bills for their children, let them tell us so that we use the money on other things like roads," the president said.

Over 7.5million pupils are currently studying under the UPE programme in which government pays Shs16,000 per pupil, while over Shs80billion is spent annually on UPE capitation grants. It also pays another Shs300,000 for each school to meet its operational costs per term.

Mr Museveni said government was spending a whooping Shs 700billion annually on free primary education which can instead be used deliver other social services. Going by the current cost of constructing a standard Ikm tarmac stretch (Shs1billion), Shs700billion can construct 700km.

The presidents' reaction follows numerous complaints from parents accusing head teachers of demanding extra fees and when they fail to comply their children are chased from school.

According to Mr Museveni, government only authorised schools in urban centres to charge as little as Shs800 for power and water. But many schools insolently demand money for medical care, phones, furniture, teachers' salaries and transport.

The President says this undermines the universal free education programme since many cannot afford the extra charges.

"This thing (of charging extra fees) is bothering me and I will soon call NRM leaders to discuss it and forge a way forward." the President added.

The president made the remarks last week at Makindye Court grounds during his four-day tour of Kampala District. Mr Museveni was in the area to assess the implementation of government's Prosperity -For-All programme commonly known as Bonna Bagagawale.

He said free education was part of the government programme to eradicate poverty in the country since those educated can easily acquire skills necessary for self employment. Mr Museveni advised parents to be responsible by meeting the scholastic needs of their children like uniforms, exercise books and lunch so as to keep them in school.

Government introduced UPE in 1997 to reduce the cost burden of basic primary education on poor parents. However, the scheme has been laden by graft which has crippled the delivery of quality education. Last year, government slashed it's allocation to UPE by 25 per cent.