Parents want Kayunga school boss suspended for chasing UPE pupils over fees
Pupils of Kayunga Girls’ Primary School go home on November 13, 2024 after being sent from school for failing to pay fees. PHOTO/FRED MUZAALE
What you need to know:
- When contacted for a comment, the head teacher advised the aggrieved parents to take their children elsewhere.
A section of angry parents of Kayunga Girls’ Primary School in Kayunga Town have asked authorities in Kayunga District to punish the school headteacher over sabotaging government's Universal Primary Education (UPE) program.
The parents, who were led by Susan Nabirye, accuse head teacher Sr Olivia Achan of frequently chasing their children from school for not paying fees even as President Museveni banned charging UPE learners.
"Every week, the head teacher sends away our children from school because we have not paid even if it is a balance of Shs5,000," the parent complained.
Parents decried their children missing school because of the head teacher’s actions.
"Is this head teacher untouchable? Why is she not suspended over this illegal action?" several parents jointly told Monitor on Wednesday.
According to the parents each learner pays at least Shs140,000 as school fees per term.
On Wednesday about half of the 800 enrolled learners in the school were sent home in the morning and allegedly told not to return without paying all the outstanding school dues.
When contacted for a comment, Sr Ochan advised the aggrieved parents to take their children elsewhere.
"They have refused to pay. What can I do? Let them take their children to schools where they will not pay," Sr Achan said.
She indicated that the money charged from learners caters for extra lessons which she said government doesn’t pay for.
As parents were vowing to storm the school, Kayunga District Education Officer Dr Dan Bubaale promised to take action against the head teacher, wondering how and why she had sent almost all learners home over non-payment of school fees.
On her part, Kayunga Resident District Commissioner Mariam Seguya pledged to crackdown on school heads who are sabotaging government programmes such as UPE.
"President Museveni’s directive is very clear. No charges for UPE learners and no sending learners home for not paying school fees. This is wrong," Seguya said.
UPE is a more than 20-year-old government program aimed at providing free education to primary school learners in public institutions.
