Parents of Kangai Secondary School in Dokolo district have rallied behind their school, committing to support the institution amid current government pressure and directives.

Kangai SS is one of the government-aided secondary schools in the district, with current enrolment standing at 253 students.

Founded four decades ago, the school has produced dozens of professionals – each of whom now occupies key positions in politics, education, finance and business, NGO sector management, health, among others.

Besides producing the above professionals, the school has in recent years registered a number of challenges, among them a decline in student enrollment, infrastructure development, and funding support.

With the current Board of Governors composed of highly influential professionals, and a focused Parent Teachers Association, including the Old Students’ Association, Kangai SS’s focus until today has been to “bring back the former glory” by supporting teachers and students with resources within reach to succeed.

With 11 teachers on the PTA payroll and 16 on the government payroll, the school recently received a capitation grant worth shs13 million, a figure parents argued is not enough to run the school.

Kangai SS also employs 23 support staff and non-teaching staff on the PTA payroll. There are only 2 staff on the government payroll under this category.

Also read: LEMU’s ED Dr Theresa Auma takes oath as Kangai SS board chairperson

Because of limited resources and low funding support from the government, the school has been relying on school fees and in-kind support from parents.

Unfortunately, the government, through Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahare, is against the payment of school fees and other related fees.

While Balaam is serious and currently moving across the country to arrest school administrators on “illegal fees” and drum up corruption in government institutions, Kangai SS parents have passed resolutions.

The resolutions were made during the board’s special meeting on November 2, in which at least 40 parents attended.

They resolved that their children will remain in the boarding section.

Another resolution was to continue paying school fees because teachers on the government payroll are only 16 and not enough to impart knowledge.

It was also resolved that the PTA will continue to pay salaries for 11 other teachers not on the government payroll.

Parents strongly spoke against the low capitation grant of shs13 million to the school termly, yet currently there are 253 students.

Parents say the directives from Minister Balaam are meant to “kill rural schools like Kangai”. They also demand to know if Balaam’s children and the children of top government officials in the Ministry of Education study in Uganda.

The directive against school fees and other PTA-authorised payments, parents argued, is “political and meant to destroy rural schools.”

“When the rural schools are destroyed, rural parents will be forced to choose private schools in Central or Western Uganda which are owned by ministers and top government officials,” Kangai parents argued.

Board chairperson Dr Theresa Auma told tndNews, Uganda, that the majority of parents refused to pay school fees and food collection this term because they had heard that Balaam said they should not pay.

“They (school management) were struggling with how to run the school,” Dr Theresa revealed.

“This term, for 253 students, they have only been given shs13million which is totally insufficient,” she confirmed.

Speaking on a letter from the district signed by CAO to all schools against charging illegal fees, Dr Theresa said the board looked at the Education Act and also invoked the powers of the board.