School fees should not push parents into financial distress
Bako says schools also ought to establish realistic payment plans for parents with steady but staggered incomes. Clearing payments in agreed instalments across the term keeps children in class without interrupting school revenue.
Maureen Bako
By Maureen Bako
EDUCATION - As the third term gets fully underway with classrooms settled into their second week and the transition into week three fast approaching, many Ugandan parents are still navigating the heavy aftermath of back-to-school expenses.
Tuition, uniforms, meals, transport, and extensive requirement lists have turned the start of term into a severe household financial crunch. For families supporting multiple children, this ongoing pressure feels less like an academic milestone and more like a prolonged financial emergency.
The strain is particularly visible in secondary education, where fees vary widely. Ministry of Education data reported by New Vision in March 2025 revealed that some government-aided schools with approved fee structures were charging roughly Shs3 million per term at Nabisunsa Girls, Shs2.5 million at King’s College Budo, and Shs2.3 million at Ntare School. While these figures do not represent all schools, they highlight how high costs can escalate even within publicly supported institutions.
The challenge extends beyond tuition alone. Parents must clear add-on costs for uniforms, meals, transportation, scholastic items, and operational requirements.
A fee that appears manageable on paper quickly becomes overwhelming once every extra demand is tallied.
At the same time, schools face genuine economic pressures. Food prices, utilities, facility maintenance, and non-government staff payrolls have all increased. Boarding institutions, in particular, depend on steady cash flow to operate. The goal is not to pretend schools can run without adequate funding, but to ensure the financial burden placed on parents remains transparent, justified, and predictable.
Uganda already possesses the legal framework required for stronger oversight.
The Education (Pre-Primary, Primary and Post-Primary) Act of 2008 stipulates that schools implementing universal education programmes should not levy extra charges beyond voluntary contributions for urgent matters, and learners must not be turned away if such voluntary contributions remain unpaid.
The law also empowers the Minister responsible for education to regulate school fees. Parents now need consistent enforcement of these existing laws alongside clear communication regarding which charges are legally permissible across various school categories.
Several practical steps can ease this pressure without undermining school operations.
Schools also ought to establish realistic payment plans for parents with steady but staggered incomes. Clearing payments in agreed instalments across the term keeps children in class without interrupting school revenue.
Furthermore, parents deserve clarity on whether requested items directly benefit their individual child or fund broader institutional operations. Operational costs should be explicitly budgeted rather than passed onto parents through long, compulsory supply lists.
Finally, parents require accessible ways to question unexpected charges without fear that their children will face victimisation. School boards, district education offices, and the Ministry of Education and Sports must streamline how fee complaints are reported and resolved.
Education remains one of the strongest investments a Ugandan family can make in a child’s future.
However, accessing a good school should not force a household into a new financial crisis every three months. Schools require adequate resources, but families deserve fairness, transparency, and relief.
Uganda can balance both by managing school financing with greater discipline and sensitivity to everyday economic realities.