EDRINE BENESA: On Schools Frustrating The President’s UPE/ USE Vision-Exposing the False Defences Behind Illegal Fees

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion piece by Edrine Benesa, identified as the Deputy Resident City Commissioner for Nakawa, criticizing what he describes as illegal charges in Uganda’s government schools. In the commentary, Benesa says his earlier article on rising fees drew strong responses from school administrators who defended the payments as necessary, parent-approved, or a response to limited government capitation grants.

Benesa disputes those defenses, arguing that parental “agreement” in school meetings may not be genuinely voluntary where families fear their children could be embarrassed, excluded from class, or otherwise affected. He says the argument becomes especially weak when learners, who are not party to such decisions, are sent home over non-payment. The commentary also challenges the claim that low state funding alone explains the charges, noting that government schools receive public support such as infrastructure and learning materials while still demanding substantial sums from parents.

The piece also highlights what Benesa calls “valueless education tours,” saying some schools are using trips and other add-ons to extract more money from already strained families. He presents this as part of a broader pattern in which public schools risk operating like private businesses while benefiting from government support.

The issue matters because Uganda’s Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education policies are intended to reduce financial barriers to schooling. While Watchdog Uganda carried the article as commentary rather than a government directive or investigative finding, it adds to public debate over school financing, enforcement of education policy, and whether learners are being denied uninterrupted study because of charges imposed outside the intended free-education framework.