Unpredictable School Fees in Africa Force Many Parents to Struggle and Children to Drop Out
Shalom Mirembe, a student in Uganda, faced a heartbreaking situation when she was sent home from school last month over unpaid tuition while her father was dying in the hospital. Despite her mother, a shoe vendor, sitting by her husband’s bedside, school officials relentlessly called demanding payment. The burden of school fees, often unpredictable and unregulated, has become an overwhelming challenge for many families like Mirembe’s, where a few hundred dollars can make or break a child’s education.
For Mirembe’s mother, Justine Nangero, balancing school fees for her four children is an exhausting fight. She tries to meet the demands of various schools, but the financial pressure is constant, especially as the fees for even government-funded schools have skyrocketed. In Uganda, top government schools now charge nearly $700 per term, an amount that far exceeds the country’s average GDP per capita of $864. This financial strain is a key factor behind Uganda’s alarmingly high dropout rates, with many students unable to continue their studies due to the inability to pay.
The lack of regulation of school fees in both public and private institutions has become a significant issue in Uganda. Although the government provides universal secondary education, many parents find these schools underfunded and undesirable. Consequently, more families are turning to private schools, which are even more expensive and often increase tuition arbitrarily, adding further financial strain. While some schools do offer flexible payment options, such as accepting in-kind payments like fruits and vegetables, this system doesn’t work for everyone, especially for families struggling with basic necessities.
For families like the Mirembe’s and others, the unpredictability of school fees forces many children to miss school or drop out altogether. Mirembe, for instance, was allowed to return to school after a sympathetic bursar, but for others, such leniency is rare. The emotional toll of the financial burden is immense, with many students, like Mirembe’s classmates, facing long periods of absence, which hinders their academic progress and future prospects.
The issue extends beyond just Mirembe’s family. Moses Serikomawa, a father of seven, has seen multiple children drop out due to the prohibitive cost of education. He describes the constant scramble for school fees as “like a cancer,” one that cannot be treated. His oldest child, who completed secondary school, is now idle and unable to pursue further education due to the lack of funds. For many families in Uganda and across sub-Saharan Africa, school fees remain the number one financial worry, often ranking higher than even medical expenses, and it’s a worry that continues to rob children of the chance to build a better future.
Source: apnews
