John Mary Ssenkubuge, a parent with two senior five students says his restaurant and bar business collapsed during the lockdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, he says it is difficult for him to get money in the shortest time possible to pay for his children.
Parents of
Bishop Senior School-BSS in Mukono district are up in arms against the proposed
new fees structures and study program ahead of the resumption of none candidate
classes. Recently, the management of the church-owned school decided to shut the day section and only maintained the
boarding section.
About 70
percent of the 2000 learners at the school have been commuting from home. Management also issued a revised salary
structure. According to the new structure, tuition has increased from
Shillings 380,000 to Shillings 860, 000 in addition to Shillings 200, 000 for
other requirements regardless of the class.
John Mary Ssenkubuge, a parent with two senior five students says his
restaurant and bar business collapsed during the lockdown resulting from the COVID-19
pandemic. As a result, he says it is difficult for him to get money in the
shortest time possible to pay for his children.
//Cue in: “Mubitundu ebirala…
Cue out: …abantu omwo”//
Translation
“Let the school emulate others that have chosen day arrangement than boarding,
the school also lack enough necessary facilities to accommodate the current
population and above all the decision was taken without our knowledge.” Sandra
Namuli, another parent with three children at Bishop School, says that even
when the tuition fee was low they would pay in instalments and wonders what
will happen now that it has been increased.
//Cue in: “Ffe nga abazadde…
Cue out: …jaffa tetukyakola”//
Translation:
“The management should be considerate to some the parents; we don’t have
capacity to meet the new requirements set up the school.” According to
the Education and Sports Ministry Guidelines for reopening of schools and
implementation of COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures, schools are required
to operate either as day or boarding section but not both.
The
guidelines are advice schools to engage parents/guardians to adopt flexible
fees payment arrangements and allow payments in appropriate instalments but
not directly increase fees.
Ffefeka Sserubogo, a member of the Bishop Senior School Parents Teachers
Associations-PTA says the decision was taken by the school management and board
of governors without involving any other stakeholders.
“I have received several telephone calls over the weekend complaining about the
new school changes but I am also green about them. I have however tried to
consult responsible administrators about the issue and we are yet to meet as
various stakeholders to find a solution,” Sserubogo said.
The School Head Teacher, Robert Kyakulaga advises parents to find ways of
paying the required fees and adhere to the new school program since the decision was already made. Rev. Geoffrey Kagoye, the Mukono Diocesan Education Secretary, says the changes
affect all their academic institutions at all levels.
“Bishop School
is located in town where there is high risk of Covid-19 exposure especially
when they maintain the use of public transport to school and yet the majority of our
parents lack capacity to hire private vehicles on a daily basis,” Rev. Kagoye
says.
Other big schools such as Seeta High Schools, Namilyango
Collage and Namagunga SS have maintained their study programs of boarding
section and claim the fees structure will change where there is
need.
