The Kuleu Lights Academy’s primary administration in Kapoeta, Eastern Equatoria has postponed school reopening this week for standard eight candidates over financial constraints. The school administration has rejected the operational burden without cash to pay teachers.
Students saw the postponement of school reopening as a worse move that will affect over 30 candidates who will risk missing classes before they sit their final national exam in December 2020.
Two weeks ago, the ministry of education announced the reopening of schools across the country. In March, the government has closed down all schools due to the coronavirus outbreak that has affected global activities.
The school director said they needed money to pay teachers and institution operations. Now learners are worried about their future to catch up with lessons. The administration claimed they had made an arrangement of increasing school fees to 27,000 pounds this year, but parents disagreed.
Pastor James Lokuuda confirmed that they had taken a unanimous decision. The school will remain close this year until their demands are met. He urged the candidates to get enrolled in other schools.
“We have decided we postpone the opening of the school to next year because we cannot afford it. There is no money to pay the teachers or even feed them the normal breakfast and lunch that they get from the school. We can’t do that. And also we may recommend them because now they are not coming. If anyone who wanted their child to get into school this year, they can take them to Kotome primary because Kotome is also a good school or even to Kapoeta day”.
Parents were dismayed by the administration’s decision. They suggested the school be open and pay the school fees slowly.
“This is wrong because the schools were declared to reopen. If they wanted money to be paid more than twenty, now if these students will remain home, they will get spoils. Many of them will enter the markets; others will become drunkards. Lokkuda cannot decide this, let him call parents to come for a meeting. Let him collect this money slowly up to next year because this is the same year that these learners paid. Parents have just started collecting little money for this pupil to return to school”.
The students urge the school’s administration to calls for a general meeting between parents, teachers, and students.
“We don’t know the problem why they close, and they heard that they add a lot of fees and parents has to come parent refuses to go to school because of the money that has been added that why the school is close, they need to call the parent and the head of the school he should help school children.
