By Cybernewsug | News Desk
The Deputy Resident City Commissioner (DRCC) of Fort Portal, Businge Emmanuel, has ordered the arrest of the headteacher of Kagote Primary School, Ms Sylivia Kamuli, over allegations of illegally charging pupils fees and sending some home for failure to pay.
Businge said the action followed intelligence indicating that pupils who had not paid the demanded fees were being discriminated against, including being denied the opportunity to sit mid-term examinations.
Kagote Primary School is a government-aided institution with an enrolment of more than 600 pupils. The pupils are expected to benefit from free primary education under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme.
The Deputy RCC said denying learners access to examinations or other learning activities because of unpaid charges was contrary to the principles governing government-aided schools.
Under the UPE programme, government provides funding to support access to primary education. Schools are not permitted to impose compulsory fees on parents as a condition for pupils to attend lessons or participate in school activities.
However, schools may seek voluntary contributions from parents, provided the arrangements are discussed and agreed upon through the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) and do not interfere with children’s access to education.
Businge’s intervention highlights concerns over the continued imposition of unauthorised charges in government schools, where some parents struggle to meet additional financial demands.
The law provides penalties for the unlawful levying of compulsory charges in government-aided schools. According to the provisions cited by the Deputy RCC, offenders may face a fine of 50 currency points or imprisonment not exceeding 12 months.
The arrest order is expected to pave the way for investigations into the allegations against the headteacher and the circumstances under which pupils were reportedly denied examinations.
The school administration and the headteacher had not provided a response to the allegations in the information available at the time of publication. The allegations should therefore be treated as claims pending investigation and any determination by the relevant authorities.
The incident has renewed attention on the responsibility of school administrators to ensure that financial demands do not prevent children from accessing education under the UPE programme.
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