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The meeting, which took place at St. Peter's Primary School in Nsambya, was in response to numerous complaints from parents about the financial burdens imposed by some Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) schools.
Minsa Kabanda, in her address, emphasised the longstanding grievances of parents regarding various charges levied by schools, such as application fees, meal costs, building projects, uniforms, utilities, and textbooks.
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She stressed, “The Education Act strictly prohibits the levying and collecting of school fees in schools implementing UPE and USE programs. I want you to fulfill this so that the poor parents are able to educate their children.”
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The meeting saw the attendance of key stakeholders, including head teachers, School Management Committee (SMC) chairpersons, Board of Governors (BOG) chairpersons, and political leaders from 79 primary schools and 22 secondary schools managed by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
The minister reiterated the Ugandan government's commitment to free education, highlighting that President Museveni has repeatedly cautioned schools against levying fees to ensure education remains accessible to all children.
To address the ongoing issues, Minsa Kabanda announced the formation of a committee tasked with developing a comprehensive report and formulating resolutions to be presented to the Ministry of Education.
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This initiative aims to ensure that schools in Kampala adhere to the stipulated policies while addressing the unique challenges faced by the metropolitan area, such as high living costs, food, accommodation, and utilities.
Dorothy Kisaka, Executive Director of KCCA, echoed the need for each child to access free education as envisioned by the Government.
Dr. Tom Baloja, representing primary school leaders, highlighted the resource challenges faced by schools and called for an increase in the capitation grant to better support government efforts in expanding universal education.
The meeting concluded with a consensus on the need for increased government funding to ensure that no child is excluded from education due to financial constraints, a commitment that Minsa Kabanda pledged to uphold.