Parents up in arms over fee for S.4 leavers
Candidates report for second term at Kisubi Mapeera Senior Secondary School in Entebbe in February. Schools and parents are embroiled in a row over the payment of fees as the new term starts. PHOTO | DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- About 640 students, who sat for the 2022 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) exams at the school, have been tasked to pay the fee to the bursar before collecting their results.
Parents of Mbale Secondary School in Mbale City have expressed displeasure over the institution’s decision to charge former Senior Four students Shs25,000 each to repair school property that was destroyed during last year’s violent strike.
About 640 students, who sat for the 2022 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) exams at the school, have been tasked to pay the fee to the bursar before collecting their results.
According to the school authorities, the fee is intended to facilitate the repair of damaged property.
However, a parent, who requested not to be named, said the school isn’t even issuing any receipt acknowledging payment.
“I paid but was not issued with a receipt. This puts a very big question mark on the charge,” one of the parents said.
Mr Mathew Mukooli, another parent, said the school should have identified the strike ring leaders and punished them instead of punishing every student.
“Even the damage that was caused was minimal compared to the money they are charging for repair. There was nothing much that was destroyed on that day,” he said.
However, Mr Steven Masiga, a lecturer at Makerere University, Mbale branch, said the penalty will serve as a deterrent to other students who have plans of engaging in strikes.
“As long as the fine has been approved by the school board of governors, it’s lawful and it will discourage other students with militant spirit in future from engaging in acts of hooliganism,” he said.
Mr Moses Buyera, the head teacher when contacted on Wednesday, blamed the former students for the indiscipline.
“They started stoning teachers and police officers and, in the process, they destroyed a lot of property, including desks, glasses in classrooms, switches and bulbs, among others,” Mr Buyera said.
Some of the former students, who talked to Daily Monitor on Wednesday afternoon on condition of anonymity, however, said the school authorities failed to respond to their concerns and preferred to punish those who came out to express their grievances on students’ welfare.
BACKGROUND
During the strike, police used teargas and bullets to disperse the angry students to avert further loss to property and also to save life as the students pelted stones at buildings, including attacking other neighbouring schools and blocking roads.
