Gov’t is Burdened, contribute a token to Support your UPE Schools- Kabasharira urges Parents

Amos Tayebwa

Ntungamo

The area Member of Parliament for Rushenyi County, Naome Kabasharira has appealed to parents whose children are studying from UPE Schools to think outside the box and start contributing some token to their schools literally for the good academic performance of their Children.

According to MP Kabasharira, Government is somehow burdened and it may not afford to fully fund all the schools with facilities and other requirements, therefore this should be the responsibility of the parents and management of those Government aided schools to ensure there is some little money paid by a parent for the academic improvement and infrastructure development.

Kabasharira adds that although there is a government policy that prohibits UPE schools from paying schools, parents must understand that the future of their children lies in their hands so they must contribute much to their education.

Kabasharira made this call at Mayors Gardens in Rubare Town, Rushenyi County while she was awarding about 56 pupils who passed in 1st grade in the recent PLE.

These were mainly picked from the only Government aided schools in Rushenyi County and were the ones who were awarded. The legislator awarded them with different items like mattresses, blankets, mathematical sets, and the pens that will support them as they are joining senior one.

MP Kabasharira made it clear that she specifically considered pupils that finished from public schools / Government aided schools for some reason that those schools operate in difficult situations compared to private ones. She says Parents of those schools have little income and they are really unable to pay fees for the  private Schools.

However, Kabasharira urged the management of those Government aided schools to always identify and tackle the challenges that affect those schools most.

She said that management is the foundation of development in those schools; therefore they need to know what they can do for the school to perform. That they should encourage and agree with the parents on how they can pay some little man that enables the pupils’ performance academically and the development of the school.

“I know the policy of the government that Parents you are not supposed to pay school fees in the UPE schools, but there is also some article in the education Act that allows parents to contribute something to support their schools, when parents and management gather and agree to do something in their school, they are allowed. I therefore encourage parents to contribute some tokens because some of their schools don’t even have classrooms for learners, you find some pupils studying from tents, others studying under the trees. It is high time that we think of constructing more classrooms that when the government is still burdened there let the parents also contribute to ensure that our schools have enough facilities to enable pupils to study comfortably” said Kabasharira, MP Rushenyi county.

Kabasharira has also mentioned that as a leader in collaboration with other leaders of  Rushenyi and Ntungamo Local Government they are working hand in hand to ensure that the education system is improved in this area.

Kabasharira believes that in Rushenyi Constituency, the academic performance is still lacking however they are fighting to put in some strategies to make sure there is some improvement.

Fred Bahati, the Ntungamo District Education Officer stated that parents must understand that paying some money in Government aided schools is not illegal.

He said that no one should convince parents that they are not supposed to pay some token, paying some money in these schools drives the school towards development and sorting out some emergencies or any challenge within the school.

“According to the police in the Education Act, article 14 and 15 is about the prohibition of charging for education in UPE or UPET, on section 9  that no person or agency shall levy or order another person to levy any charge for purpose of education in any primary post primary institution implementing UPE or UPET  program.   However,  the police guide states that the provisions of section one shall not be construed to deter the management of any school or institution implementing UPE or UPET program from collecting or receiving voluntary contributions or payments from parents and well-wishers to contain a state of emergency or any urgent matter concerning the school. Therefore, it’s not illegal for you as parents to pay some money to the school as long as there is a cause and for the benefit of children.  Don’t hide in UPE policy that you should not pay any money to support our schools, this results into collapse of our schools  and yet you are the owners of those schools” Bahati states.