Summary:
- As schools in Uganda prepare to reopen, stakeholders, including ELSA Africa, are urging the government to stabilize and make scholastic materials affordable. Concerns were raised about potential price increases leading to higher school dropouts. Elsa Africa suggested tax reductions on scholastic materials, sanitary pads, and schools to help the youth, especially girls.
With less than two weeks remaining until the commencement of the first term, schools nationwide are urging the Government of Uganda to implement measures to ensure the stability and affordability of scholastic materials for all parents.
During a press conference, Daisy Mukisa, an official from ELSA Africa, emphasized the importance of regulating prices to prevent a potential increase in the cost of scholastic materials. Stakeholders from Elsa Africa, while donating educational supplies to children in Kiwogo Village, Namuyenje Parish, Nakisunga Subcounty, Mukono District, expressed concerns that unregulated prices could lead to a rise in school dropouts.
Namata Rosemary, the Communications Director for Elsa Africa, highlighted the challenges faced by young people, especially girls, in purchasing essential items. She noted that prices were already high and becoming increasingly unaffordable, posing a risk that girls might struggle to afford sanitary pads, impacting their ability to manage menstruation at school.
Namata urged the government to consider the youth, comprising a significant portion of the country’s population, many of whom are unemployed. She suggested that the government could alleviate the financial burden by reducing taxes on scholastic materials, sanitary pads, and schools to keep education costs affordable for all Ugandans.
Charles Teera Ssentongo, a resident of Mukono, shared his struggles since losing his job during the COVID-19 lockdown. He emphasized the difficulty of raising school fees for his children, calling on the government to provide tax holidays to companies involved in manufacturing scholastic materials. This, he believes, would make these materials more accessible to less privileged parents.
