Schools maintain fees despite new tax
Kampala Parents School candidates pray for the beginning of a blessed third term at the school in Kampala on Monday. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA.
What you need to know:
School heads say they could not increase fees at the end of the year putting the parents into consideration.
Kampala
Despite government levying a new tax on private schools, many schools have decided not to increase school fees, at least for now.
School managers who talked to this newspaper yesterday said it would be unfair to parents to raise fees when the school year is soon coming to an end. “We run the schools but we also are parents. Even though the new tax took effect July 1 , it will be unfair to just throw it at the parents without prior notice,” said Mr Lawrence Muwonge, the head teacher of Buddo Secondary School. “When time comes to increase, we will formally communicate to our parents so that they prepare for it next year,” he added.
Schools officially opened for Third Term on Monday and the term will close on December 5.
Mr George Bamuleseyo, the head teacher of Kennedy Secondary School in Kawuku, said although it will not be easy to sustain their normal operations without raising the fees, the increment has first to be approved by the school board of governors.
“There was no way we could do it when it is not sanctioned. But I can assure you a slight raise will be unavoidable next year if we are to keep afloat. Prices of school needs are exorbitantly high yet we are supposed to keep offering quality service,” he said.
In the 2014/15 National Budget government announced that it had reintroduced the 30 per cent income tax on all private schools that make profits, a move private school proprietors vehemently oppose, saying they are currently burdened by huge taxes –majority of which are levied by local councils and bringing another tax will cripple their operations.
Proprietors through their association - National Private Educational Institutions Association, have since threatened to shift the burden to the parents if the budget is passed without reviewing the tax.
Recently, the director basic and secondary education in the ministry of Education, Dr Yusuf Nsubuga warned school head teachers against hiking school fees as the new term opens. This followed reports that some high-profile private schools had moved to set fees structures as a measure to meet the new tax and high cost of living.
