His statement comes as a section of parents have expressed concern at exorbitant school requirements for learners besides school fees.
Unreasonable requirements
Filbert Baguma, the secretary-general of Uganda National Teachers Unions –UNATU says that schools are overwhelming parents with heavy requirements as the second term of learning resumes next week.
His statement comes as a section of parents have expressed concern at exorbitant school requirements for learners besides school fees.
Some of the parents that interacted with Galaxy Fm Website claim school requirements cost more than half of the tuition for learners. The parents claim that even pre-primary schools are now asking for reams of paper on termly basis which wasn’t the case before.
Schools demand requirements such as toilet paper, reams of paper, brooms and rags, among others on top of school fees.
Unreasonable requirements
Now Baguma says if the Ministry of Education cannot come to their rescue, parents need to voice out their concerns on such issues in order to be respected by both schools and the government. Baguma, says government schools should not be asking for requirements more than scholastic materials and personal requirements if not a boarding school.
“There is no one to bring them to order ,The MOE should come to the recue of parents and guardians because it is now too much, but also parents should come up with a body that brings them together to have one voice, otherwise parents will continue suffering,” he says
According to the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights – ISER, a civil organization sued the government for alleged failure to put in place a legal framework to regulate school dues and requirements.
In their application before the High Court Civil Division in Kampala, ISER together with Michael Aboneka and Andrew Karamagi, both lawyers want the High Court to compel the Minister of Education and Sports to immediately exercise her mandate to draft a policy that will regulate school fees and all dues payable at school and tertiary institutions in the country.
They demand that unnecessary requirements such as toilet paper, reams of paper, brooms and rags, among others on top of school fees.
