Stats that kill me

“School fees, school fees!” This is a phrase I have been hearing over and over like a broken record since I arrived here. It seems to be among the top 2-3 challenges people face: “How to pay the school fees for all these children I’ve produced?” That is assuming, of course, that they value education enough to concern themselves about this (which some do not).

What’s in a school fee?
I’ve been asking around, and there are some higher quality boarding schools that are maybe 300,000Ush (about $175) per year. Even for a ‘lower’ quality school like Ssenyange Public (see photo below), fees are about 30,000 per term, times 3 terms, plus another 50,000 for uniform, books, etc, for a total of 140,000 per year (about $80). Multiply that by 6 or 7 children at 12 years each, and you’re looking at what, for many families, is an insurmountable barrier to education. (Hard even if there are parents in the picture, which there often aren’t- the number orphans is another stat that kills me!)

Pic- Ssenyange Public School (not UPE, despite the name). A teacher there told us that half the student body was recently dismissed due to unpaid school fees. Even for those that manage to pay the fees and remain, many sit through the entire school day on an empty stomach because folks at home can’t manage to send them with anything for breakfast or lunch.


Houston, we have a problem!
In Masaka District, 50% of the population of around 770,000 is under the age of 15. There is, in theory, a government policy of Universal Primary Education, meaning that primary school is free and every child should be able to go. (More on UPE vs. private education later). However, in reality, even if there is a UPE school anywhere nearby, which there sometimes is not, there are still fees that become cost prohibitive (books, uniforms, porridge).

The stats say that 94% of school aged kids in Masaka do in fact enter primary school. However, the retention rate is dismal, and only 14% (!) of those who enter primary school make the transition to secondary school. Now, I was never any good at statistics, but if only 14% of 93% of 50% of your population is getting beyond primary school, I’d say, “Houston, we have a problem!”

Without even looking closely, I see school-aged kids out of school- everywhere, every day. This is in the relatively privileged town area (as opposed to the much worse off rural villages.) It’s like watching precious water being poured out and wasted in the middle of a desert. Right now, at this very moment, as I watch, almost 50% of the population is losing the chance for a better future not only themselves, but also for Uganda. How is the country going to move forward if the majority have either never been to school, or never made it beyond grade 3 or 4? It kills me!

I’ve been mulling this over like a dog gnawing on a bone- what to do? No answers yet- I’ll keep you posted ;)