Joseph Byomuhangyi
As the school calendar unfolds, Ugandan parents and guardians grapple with a recurring financial burden—the notorious “development fees” charged by private schools. Disguised as a contribution towards improving school infrastructure, these fees have become a covert mechanism for government grant-aided, especially those not implementing universal primary and secondary education, and private business owners to extract forceful donations from unsuspecting families, with little to no accountability. At face value, development fees might appear justified. After all, schools need continuous infrastructure upgrades to provide quality education. However, the underlying issue lies in how these fees are imposed and utilised.
Unlike tuition, which covers the cost of education services, development fees are an additional levy that parents are compelled to pay without clear consent or an option to opt out. This transforms what should be a voluntary contribution into a mandatory financial obligation, effectively making it a forced donation. Schools often use development fees to enhance their properties, construct new buildings, purchase equipment, or expand facilities.
However, this cycle creates a paradox. Parents pay development fees to improve a school, which then uses those improvements to justify raising tuition, thereby increasing the financial strain on the same families who funded the upgrades. When parents voice their concerns, the typical retort from private school owners or administrators in the case of government grant-aided schools is dismissive: “Take your child to a school you can afford.” This response not only disregards the legitimate grievances of parents but also highlights the commercialisation of education, treating it as a privilege rather than a fundamental basic need for the socioeconomic development of our country. The current situation underscores a gap in regulatory oversight. The Ministry of Education and Sports has the mandate to ensure that education remains accessible and equitable.
Yet, the absence of stringent regulations on school fees, including development fees, has allowed schools to exploit this loophole. While some schools, especially private ones operate as businesses, the service they provide— education—is a public good that should not be subjected to the whims of market dynamics alone. To address this issue, government must take decisive action. First, the minister of Education should perform her statutory duty of regulating school fees, including development fees as mandated by sections 4 (2) and 58(g) of the Education Act, Cap. 247. In fact, in 2024, the Cabinet passed a resolution banning the charging of certain school fees items, including development fees.
However, implementation of the Cabinet resolution remains weak in two ways. First, the minister of Education did not issue school fees regulations as a way of putting into effect the Cabinet resolution. Secondly, the ministry’s ineffective monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance. Section 52 (2) of the Education Act makes it criminal for any school that does not comply with the regulations issued under Section 58(g). Consequently, schools that violate the regulations issued by the minister would face criminal prosecution and other penalties, including the possibility of losing their operating licences and registration. The time for the minister of Education to act on the issue of unfair school fees such as development fees is now. Parents have borne this financial burden for too long.
Mr Joseph Byomuhangyi is a Coordinator at Uganda
Consortium on Corporate Accountability (UCCA)
