By James Kanyenda, Mana
Ministry of Education says it will take disciplinary measures on all its officers who are still charging learners various user fees.
In January 2022, Ministry of Education wrote a circular to its officers stopping them from charging user fees such as Registration fee, examination fee, summer school fee and report card fee among others.
The Ministry said the user fees defeat the purpose of having free primary education, introduced to make primary education accessible to everyone, as some learners are dropping out of school after falling to pay.
Secretary for Education, Chikondano Mussa, says it is disheartening to note that some officers are still demanding user fees from learners despite Ministry’s directive and has described the act as insubordination.
“Government issued a circular and if people do not want to abide by what the government is saying then the Ministry will invoke disciplinary measures,” warned Mussa.
Mussa said Headteachers, Primary Education Advisors ( PEA) and District Education Managers ( DEM) should not allow the malpractice to happen under their jurisdiction saying failure to guard against it will subject them to disciplinary action.
