Parents suffocate under skyrocketing cost of education

A gentle drizzle beats rhythmically on a rusty roof of the classroom, as some of its water seeps through the gaping holes; at Nkodo Primary school, in the newly created Kakumiro district in western Uganda.

Pupils, from the neighbouring villages stream along the path snaking through high-rising thicket of elephant grass to access this village private school. Much as there are several other public schools in the district, this is the only primary school within this village.

Gideon Zikusooka, a Primary Seven pupil dashes into his classroom on this chilly morning. Drenched by the morning rain with his books wrapped in black polythene bag, he is one of the 20 boys, out of the 50 who started Primary One in this school way back in 2010. There are eight other girls out of the 15 who joined with Zikusooka Primary One, years ago.

The high dropout rate is highly blamed on the high cost of educating children in the country, which is majorly being borne by families and not Government or donors. Parents have over the time complained that the school fees are high nowadays. Get the full story in your copy of Mwalimu.