Is your child’s daycare squeezing you to the bone?
MUKIIBI is a young parent planning to enroll his child in a nursery school. His friend has a child in Senior Six whom he plans to enroll at university. While Mukiibi’s child is enrolling at the bottom of the education hierarchy and the other at the top, they will both pay the same price.
By JOHN AGABA
MUKIIBI is a young parent planning to enroll his child in a nursery school. His friend has a child in Senior Six whom he plans to enroll at university. While Mukiibi’s child is enrolling at the bottom of the education hierarchy and the other at the top, they will both pay the same price.
Over the years, the cost of pre-primary education in Uganda has continued to inflate.
Educationists warn it is expected to rise even higher unless a regulatory policy framework for pre-primary education is put in place. The ordinary parent deep in the rural area and the uptown working parent are equally feeling the pinch of nursery education. Many schools up-country charge as little as sh60,000. But this figure is far out of reach for peasants in the countryside. In the urban centres where the fees range from sh400,000-sh1.5m, few parents are able to pay.
Nursery education provides a solid base to the child’s education career. Research has shown that children who attend nursery education perform better in later stages of their school life.
When Eunice Musimenta sought a vacancy at Aga Khan Nursery School in Kololo for her two-year-old daughter, she was told to part with about sh1.1m per term if her child was to enroll at the school. Here, continuing pupils pay sh885,000, but beginners pay sh1.1m. The tuition for Bachelor of Mass Communication at Makerere University is sh700,000 per semester.
On average, a child spends between four to 36 months in pre-primary before enrolling for Primary One. This means that by the time a child joins primary school, a parent in this school will have parted with about sh15m on tuition. Sh15m can pay for two students for an entire course in mass communication in a university.
Parents feeling the pinch
‘‘Since I would be dropping the girl and picking her myself, I did not understand why I would have to pay such a hefty amount,’’ Musimenta says.
However, more worry was to grip her when she moved to another daycare centre in Bugolobi. At Kissyfur Pre/Kindergarten and Day Care Centre, she was told to pay sh430,000 per month (about sh1.3m per term) if she wanted to enroll her child in the school. Civil engineering students at Makerere University pay slightly less (sh1.15m) per semester.
At Ambrosoli International School in Bugolobi, the fees is $1,312 (about sh3m) per term. Victorious Kindergarten on Namirembe Road charges sh400,000 per term. Lyna Daycare and Nursery in Rubaga charges sh270,000.
Teddy Bears Kindergarten in Bugolobi charges sh430,000 per term. Lohana Academy Pre-primary charges between sh450,000 and sh500,000. Christ the King Nursery charges between sh220,000-sh400,000. But educationists argue that even sh400,000 is too high for the ordinary parent to afford.
A survey in nursery schools around Kampala showed a similar trend. Nursery education is becoming to hard to achieve for many a parent because of high fees.
Margaret Muhanga, the proprietor of Teddy Bears Kindergarten in Bugolobi, says many kindergartens and daycare centres in Uganda charge unrealistic fees.
‘‘They are after making money. Many of them charge for a month what would be appropriate for a term. They charge unrealistic amounts,’’ she says.
Jane Aciro, a frustrated mother, echoes similar sentiments.
‘‘The money they charge is too much. Some kindergartens do not even offer transport; they do not offer uniforms, let alone stationery. It is the parent who provides all these. So, why the high fees?’’ she asks.
However, Milena Latincic, the director of Kissyfur, says the costs are justifiable.
“At Kissyfur we charge sh430,000 per month, but we ensure our children get the best of services there is. We ensure security, good feeding, hygiene and a standard approach to early education; all these services come at a cost. Yes, some parents cannot afford, but there has to be a minimum standard,’’ Latincic says.
According to Latincic, today parents are so busy, the reason many enroll their children in kindergartens and daycare centres. During this time, she says, the toddlers are engaged in activities that develop their mind to full potential. She maintains that children who take part in early education programmes are more likely to succeed as adults.
Education ministry speaks out
Pre-primary education as an industry in Uganda is growing fast. Pre-primary education is largely run privately. This liberalisation has also opened doors to unscrupulous investors who dupe unsuspecting parents with sub-standard pre-primary education services.
The Government has paid little attention to this sector. The education ministry has left the sector largely in private hands without any policy guidelines. As a result, the fees structure has been left at the mercy of school owners whose prime objective is to make profit.
Gaston Kayabuki, the pre-primary and early childhood education senior inspector, says the Government has no policy regarding the regulation of fees for all the pre-primary and daycare centres.
‘‘All nursery institutions are summed under private entities. And this is a free market economy. So, it is up to the parent. If they cannot afford, they always have alternatives,’’ he says.
Parents who cannot afford nursery education can still create an impact in the lives of their children.
‘‘We encourage them to mentor the children themselves. Parents can guide the toddlers to become accepted in community. They must play the role of igniting lifeskills in them. They should prepare them for the primary level,’’ says Kayabuki.
And again, he says there are community-based early childhood development centres, so parents who cannot afford nursery can enroll the children in these institutions.
He notes that pre-primary education is paramount in shaping a child’s character.
‘‘In early education we emphasise socialisation – even children as young as 18 months are taught lifeskills so they can fit in society,’’ Kayabuki says.
Options
With many of the best kindergartens charging between sh500,000 and sh1.5m per term, the dilemma for many parents is where to take their little ones for quality daycare at affordable costs – and many more even worry over opting out of the whole scheme.
Aciro has opted out. The mother of three says she could not afford nursery fees, especially after her second born also qualified to join nursery. ‘‘Now I would require over sh1.6m to be able to take both of them to Aga Khan, which is too much.’’
Aciro has since hired a maid specifically to take care of her three children. The maid is responsible for occupying the toddlers, and imparting in them lifeskills such as toilet behaviour and the need to wash hands every after visiting toilets and before eating food. She takes care of them just like any daycare would, says Aciro.
Fagil Monday, an educationist, says the challenge is that many pre-primary schools teach Primary One work, a thing that is not official. However, he says if a parent cannot afford these schools, he/she can help the children socialise – he/she can prepare them for Primary One.
However, Justus Mujuni, a parent, argues that some kindergartens charge reasonable fees.
“Parents who cannot afford to educate their toddlers in the expensive kindergartens can consider the less expensive kindergartens,†he says.
‘‘The problem is many Ugandans think the more expensive a school is the better its services.â€
However, Muhanga says at times parents are to blame for the exploitation. ‘‘Some parents are wannabees. They are so happy their children study from expensive kindergartens.
Some actually go about bragging that they pay sh2m for their children’s education. Now, if we have such parents, do we need to blame kindergarten owners for inflating fees?’’ she asks.
Peter Mpaata, a parent
Some nursery schools are too expensive. However, parents do not have to take their children to such schools if they cannot afford them. For example, when I went to one kindergarten in Nateete and they required sh350,000, I went to another in Nabbingo, where I pay sh150,000.
Sarah Nakuya Kafwuma, a teacher
Pre-primary institutions are justified to charge a lot of money. They do a lot of work. Some even incorporate daycare centres where they look after toddlers who are at times as young as 18 months. They are responsible for changing their diapers and feeding them. They do more than just teaching.
David Kubuuka, a parent
Nursery education is necessary. Infants who go through nursery school learn to express themselves; they learn to write, let alone read at a tender age. Nursery school prepares infants for Primary One.
Mary Adong, a parent
We would love to have our children attend nursery school, but some of us cannot afford. And the cost of nursery education keeps increasing. If the Government intervened in nursery education like it has done with primary and secondary education, we would be grateful.
Gloria Tusiime, a teacher Maryhill High School Mbarara
Cheap nursery schools employ half-baked teachers. But because good nursery schools are so expensive we do not have any option, but to send our children to these below standard institutions.
Alvin Amaal, S5 student, Horizon Campus, St. Lawrence
Children who attend nursery are introduced to school life early. At a tender age they learn to live and interact with other children. Though children who do not attend nursery can still learn these life skills from their parents, parents are not as qualified as nursery teachers.
Grace Lukwago, a teacher, St. Francis Pre-Primary and Daycare Centre, Ntinda
While up-country parents may not need to send children to nursery schools, parents from urban centres have to send their children to nursery schools, otherwise they will not compete with those who attended nursery. If you cannot afford a particular nursery school, there are those you can affordable.
Ronny Munobwa, a teacher, Royal Cranes Nursery and Daycare, Buddo
Handling young people is interesting. They always do what you ask them to do. They are genuine and sincere. But parents should know the task is not easy – we handle kids who have barely learnt a thing. We need money to do this.
Malcolm Waswa and John Kato, pupils, Royal Cranes Nursery and Day Care, Buddo
We love to play. And every time we are at school, we play. When we get tired, we go to sleep. School is so nice we also sing, match, shade and even sort objects.
How to respond
How can pre-primary education fees be checked? Send your views to Mwalimu, P.O.Box 9815, Kampala; Email: mwalimu@newvision.co.ug Or SMS: Type mwalimu [leave space], your views, name, contact then send to 8338
MUKIIBI is a young parent planning to enroll his child in a nursery school. His friend has a child in Senior Six whom he plans to enroll at university. While Mukiibi’s child is enrolling at the bottom of the education hierarchy and the other at the top, they will both pay the same price.
Over the years, the cost of pre-primary education in Uganda has continued to inflate.
Educationists warn it is expected to rise even higher unless a regulatory policy framework for pre-primary education is put in place. The ordinary parent deep in the rural area and the uptown working parent are equally feeling the pinch of nursery education. Many schools up-country charge as little as sh60,000. But this figure is far out of reach for peasants in the countryside. In the urban centres where the fees range from sh400,000-sh1.5m, few parents are able to pay.
Nursery education provides a solid base to the child’s education career. Research has shown that children who attend nursery education perform better in later stages of their school life.
When Eunice Musimenta sought a vacancy at Aga Khan Nursery School in Kololo for her two-year-old daughter, she was told to part with about sh1.1m per term if her child was to enroll at the school. Here, continuing pupils pay sh885,000, but beginners pay sh1.1m. The tuition for Bachelor of Mass Communication at Makerere University is sh700,000 per semester.
On average, a child spends between four to 36 months in pre-primary before enrolling for Primary One. This means that by the time a child joins primary school, a parent in this school will have parted with about sh15m on tuition. Sh15m can pay for two students for an entire course in mass communication in a university.
Parents feeling the pinch
‘‘Since I would be dropping the girl and picking her myself, I did not understand why I would have to pay such a hefty amount,’’ Musimenta says.
However, more worry was to grip her when she moved to another daycare centre in Bugolobi. At Kissyfur Pre/Kindergarten and Day Care Centre, she was told to pay sh430,000 per month (about sh1.3m per term) if she wanted to enroll her child in the school. Civil engineering students at Makerere University pay slightly less (sh1.15m) per semester.
At Ambrosoli International School in Bugolobi, the fees is $1,312 (about sh3m) per term. Victorious Kindergarten on Namirembe Road charges sh400,000 per term. Lyna Daycare and Nursery in Rubaga charges sh270,000.
Teddy Bears Kindergarten in Bugolobi charges sh430,000 per term. Lohana Academy Pre-primary charges between sh450,000 and sh500,000. Christ the King Nursery charges between sh220,000-sh400,000. But educationists argue that even sh400,000 is too high for the ordinary parent to afford.
A survey in nursery schools around Kampala showed a similar trend. Nursery education is becoming to hard to achieve for many a parent because of high fees.
Margaret Muhanga, the proprietor of Teddy Bears Kindergarten in Bugolobi, says many kindergartens and daycare centres in Uganda charge unrealistic fees.
‘‘They are after making money. Many of them charge for a month what would be appropriate for a term. They charge unrealistic amounts,’’ she says.
Jane Aciro, a frustrated mother, echoes similar sentiments.
‘‘The money they charge is too much. Some kindergartens do not even offer transport; they do not offer uniforms, let alone stationery. It is the parent who provides all these. So, why the high fees?’’ she asks.
However, Milena Latincic, the director of Kissyfur, says the costs are justifiable.
“At Kissyfur we charge sh430,000 per month, but we ensure our children get the best of services there is. We ensure security, good feeding, hygiene and a standard approach to early education; all these services come at a cost. Yes, some parents cannot afford, but there has to be a minimum standard,’’ Latincic says.
According to Latincic, today parents are so busy, the reason many enroll their children in kindergartens and daycare centres. During this time, she says, the toddlers are engaged in activities that develop their mind to full potential. She maintains that children who take part in early education programmes are more likely to succeed as adults.
Education ministry speaks out
Pre-primary education as an industry in Uganda is growing fast. Pre-primary education is largely run privately. This liberalisation has also opened doors to unscrupulous investors who dupe unsuspecting parents with sub-standard pre-primary education services.
The Government has paid little attention to this sector. The education ministry has left the sector largely in private hands without any policy guidelines. As a result, the fees structure has been left at the mercy of school owners whose prime objective is to make profit.
Gaston Kayabuki, the pre-primary and early childhood education senior inspector, says the Government has no policy regarding the regulation of fees for all the pre-primary and daycare centres.
‘‘All nursery institutions are summed under private entities. And this is a free market economy. So, it is up to the parent. If they cannot afford, they always have alternatives,’’ he says.
Parents who cannot afford nursery education can still create an impact in the lives of their children.
‘‘We encourage them to mentor the children themselves. Parents can guide the toddlers to become accepted in community. They must play the role of igniting lifeskills in them. They should prepare them for the primary level,’’ says Kayabuki.
And again, he says there are community-based early childhood development centres, so parents who cannot afford nursery can enroll the children in these institutions.
He notes that pre-primary education is paramount in shaping a child’s character.
‘‘In early education we emphasise socialisation – even children as young as 18 months are taught lifeskills so they can fit in society,’’ Kayabuki says.
Options
With many of the best kindergartens charging between sh500,000 and sh1.5m per term, the dilemma for many parents is where to take their little ones for quality daycare at affordable costs – and many more even worry over opting out of the whole scheme.
Aciro has opted out. The mother of three says she could not afford nursery fees, especially after her second born also qualified to join nursery. ‘‘Now I would require over sh1.6m to be able to take both of them to Aga Khan, which is too much.’’
Aciro has since hired a maid specifically to take care of her three children. The maid is responsible for occupying the toddlers, and imparting in them lifeskills such as toilet behaviour and the need to wash hands every after visiting toilets and before eating food. She takes care of them just like any daycare would, says Aciro.
Fagil Monday, an educationist, says the challenge is that many pre-primary schools teach Primary One work, a thing that is not official. However, he says if a parent cannot afford these schools, he/she can help the children socialise – he/she can prepare them for Primary One.
However, Justus Mujuni, a parent, argues that some kindergartens charge reasonable fees.
“Parents who cannot afford to educate their toddlers in the expensive kindergartens can consider the less expensive kindergartens,†he says.
‘‘The problem is many Ugandans think the more expensive a school is the better its services.â€
However, Muhanga says at times parents are to blame for the exploitation. ‘‘Some parents are wannabees. They are so happy their children study from expensive kindergartens.
Some actually go about bragging that they pay sh2m for their children’s education. Now, if we have such parents, do we need to blame kindergarten owners for inflating fees?’’ she asks.
Peter Mpaata, a parent
Some nursery schools are too expensive. However, parents do not have to take their children to such schools if they cannot afford them. For example, when I went to one kindergarten in Nateete and they required sh350,000, I went to another in Nabbingo, where I pay sh150,000.
Sarah Nakuya Kafwuma, a teacher
Pre-primary institutions are justified to charge a lot of money. They do a lot of work. Some even incorporate daycare centres where they look after toddlers who are at times as young as 18 months. They are responsible for changing their diapers and feeding them. They do more than just teaching.
David Kubuuka, a parent
Nursery education is necessary. Infants who go through nursery school learn to express themselves; they learn to write, let alone read at a tender age. Nursery school prepares infants for Primary One.
Mary Adong, a parent
We would love to have our children attend nursery school, but some of us cannot afford. And the cost of nursery education keeps increasing. If the Government intervened in nursery education like it has done with primary and secondary education, we would be grateful.
Gloria Tusiime, a teacher Maryhill High School Mbarara
Cheap nursery schools employ half-baked teachers. But because good nursery schools are so expensive we do not have any option, but to send our children to these below standard institutions.
Alvin Amaal, S5 student, Horizon Campus, St. Lawrence
Children who attend nursery are introduced to school life early. At a tender age they learn to live and interact with other children. Though children who do not attend nursery can still learn these life skills from their parents, parents are not as qualified as nursery teachers.
Grace Lukwago, a teacher, St. Francis Pre-Primary and Daycare Centre, Ntinda
While up-country parents may not need to send children to nursery schools, parents from urban centres have to send their children to nursery schools, otherwise they will not compete with those who attended nursery. If you cannot afford a particular nursery school, there are those you can affordable.
Ronny Munobwa, a teacher, Royal Cranes Nursery and Daycare, Buddo
Handling young people is interesting. They always do what you ask them to do. They are genuine and sincere. But parents should know the task is not easy – we handle kids who have barely learnt a thing. We need money to do this.
Malcolm Waswa and John Kato, pupils, Royal Cranes Nursery and Day Care, Buddo
We love to play. And every time we are at school, we play. When we get tired, we go to sleep. School is so nice we also sing, match, shade and even sort objects.
How to respond
How can pre-primary education fees be checked? Send your views to Mwalimu, P.O.Box 9815, Kampala; Email: mwalimu@newvision.co.ug Or SMS: Type mwalimu [leave space], your views, name, contact then send to 8338