Muyingo Warns Public Schools Against Illegal Fees, Sending Students Home

What the report says

Uganda’s Acting Education Minister John Chrysostom Muyingo has cautioned heads of public education institutions against charging unauthorized fees or sending students home over unpaid amounts, including feeding charges. He said the practice blocks access to education, especially for learners from low-income families, and could weaken government efforts to build practical skills and self-reliance among young people.

Muyingo made the remarks during an inspection tour of public education facilities in Jinja City, where he also commissioned Enabel-supported projects. At Kakira Vocational Training Institute in Kakira Town Council, student leaders told Nile Post that some learners had dropped out because they could not afford the fees. The minister opened a 40,000-litre water project and broke ground for a modern agricultural laboratory intended to improve hands-on training.

School officials used the visit to raise long-standing infrastructure concerns. The institute’s training head, Charles Bamusibule, said it lacks enough classrooms, laboratories and staff housing, while deputy principal Alex Mukakanya said the visit gave them a chance to present their challenges directly to the ministry. He added that no education minister had visited the institute in its two decades of existence.

The report also noted progress at Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training College in Jinja, where principal Richard Kawere said a €260,000 Enabel grant has supported digital learning tools, website upgrades and administration systems. The college also plans online results access and applications, alongside a job centre aimed at improving employment links.