The hustle of reporting back to school

EDUCATION

Once again, it is that time of the year when the school gates are flung wide open to allow the flow of schoolgoers.

The third term for primary and secondary school has started.

For the boarding school attendants, it has been a hustle and bustle to get back to school to settle in. For the parents and guardians, on the other hand, it is a dreaded time as they double - or even triple - efforts to get their children's school fees in the bank.

Some have appealed to school managements to allow their children study while they look for the rest of the tuition fees.

Aisha Nalugo, a single mother of five, says she managed to pay 50 per cent of the school fees, yet the school wants students to have cleared the full school fees amount before being being allowed in school.

"This is unfair," she says.

"We call upon schools to allow students to study as we look for the balance than letting them sit at home."

Being the sole breadwinner of her family, Nalugo says it is difficult to sufficiently cater for all the schooling needs of her children.

This year, she has three candidates - in Primary Seven, Senior Four and Senior Six.

Rose Namata, the deputy headteacher of Lubiri High School in Kampala, says Lubiri allows students to study as long as they have first paid half of the school fees.

"We understand the situation that parents goes through, and since it is the third term, we do not want to be behind the schedule'," she says.

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  Getting back to school


For the schoolgoers, there is always some measure of excitement over getting back to school after the holidays.

 
Notwithstanding the excitement, it is always a hustle moving from home to back to school - especially if you have to depend on public means of transport.

 
Back-to-school times often present a perfect opportunity for people to make an extra buck. Take, for instance, this cart pusher.

 
This is a time when parents have to think about school fees to send their children back to the learning environment.

With the demand for scholarstic materials high around this time, the prices also take a hike.