You can avoid long fees payment queues

Back in the days when the banking system was taking root and most schools were moving away from the traditional parent/student-to-bursar cash payment to the bank slip, paying school fees was another long process. The long endless queues, bank conmen, and the general risk of losing the money were some of the hurdles most parents endured. Actually, all these challenges became a scapegoat for a number of students who used school fees for other personal things,” Wilson Mujuni, a parent recalls.
Today, Mujuni does not need to move from her home in Kiteezi to go to a bank in Kampala to pay school fees for his Senior Three daughter at St Mark’s College, Namagoma.

Using mobile operators
“The school uses School Pay where a code is generated for every student and so, the school gives each student a card with their code. So, with this number, I can just visit my bank, which has a utility system where details of the student are put and then money moved directly from my account. I can also use mobile money to pay because all I need is the student’s number,” Mujuni explains. However, this system only allows full payment and not installments but comes at no extra pay.
Other such systems include FlexiPay, which works in the same way and ZeePay which is majorly used for university students.
“With ZeePay, I can go to the university and they give me a special number with which I can go to the bank and the money is transferred to the school account. This number, however, expires after three days, so if it does before one pays their tuition, you need to go back and get another from the university,” Brenda Nambi, a student at Makerere University, shares.

Mobile money transfers
Some schools such as St Peter’s Nsambya have introduced a mobile money transfer plan for the students. Mobile numbers are given to the parents to have the fees directly deposited to the school’s bank account.
“We get in touch with a bank and they do the technical work of ensuring everyone has a number. All we do is to avail them with the class lists such that they can tag every child to a mobile number,” says Immaculate Lwanga adding. “In case a parent shows up at school with cash, we give them a mobile number on which they can make deposits. That money goes directly to the school’s bank account.”

Mobile banking
For Stanbic Bank customers, school fees can also be paid through mobile banking. “For our USSD digital channel, customers can dial *290# and follow the prompts. This service offering is free of charge and does not require one to have airtime. In case they are not signed up yet, they can still follow the prompts and sign up to access the service,” Milly Kyolaba, head of public sector at Stanbic Bank shares.

Agent payment
To bring services closer to the people, a number of banks rolled out the Agent banking system. “With a network of more than 1,000 Stanbic Bank Agents, all members of the public can access several banking services. Customers with cash can pay their school fees at any of the Stanbic Bank agent nearest to them without necessarily owning a bank account with us,” Kyolaba adds.

Standing orders
Brenda Nerima, a banker with Finance Trust Bank, says parents can also try the standing order option in banks which is continental and user friendly in terms of saving time and money.
“The customer signs documents such that an appropriate amount of money is deducted from their account and deposited to the school’s account. This plan can be stopped as soon as the parent has paid the full school fees for that term,” she says adding that parents do not have to come to the bank to see this work.
Gertrude Nasanga, a parent, uses standing orders to transfer her child’s fees as well as premium for insurance of her child’s education. “The bank will deduct those monies for five years. I feared that the standing order plan would be hectic but I have now realised how important and convenient it is,” she says.

EFT
Among other available options is the Electronic Fund Transfer. “A parent may be having an account from a different bank but the school has an account in another bank, like we have one for Dfcu. A parent can then write a cheque to the school and bring it. This, however, takes four working days for the accounts to be reconciled,” Benard Lubowa, the school bursar Progressive Secondary School, Nansana says.

Bank draft
A number of banks offer this service to their clients regardless of whether they are account holders or not. “With the bank draft, the school does not take cash but rather gives you an account number for the transactions. A parent can then ask the bank to write a cheque for the school. The student then brings the cheque to the bursar,” Lubowa further explains.
However, with this wide range of options to choose from, Lubowa advises parents to pay school fees in time before the term begins to avoid last minute payments. “Schools are always open to receiving school fees even before the term begins,” he encourages.

Advantages
Milly Kyolaba Stanbic, head of public sector says,
• Paying school fees through these channels makes it:
• Very convenient for parents and guardians.
• Eliminates unnecessary transport costs.
• Possible to have secure payments.
• Eliminate forgeries and reduces on administrative costs such as paperwork.

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