As parents today grapple with high school fees charges and unrealistic scholastic demands from schools, it is worth noting that there were times when some of the best schools paid reasonable money for good education.
Take the example of Buganda Road Primary School.
The school was one of the elite primary schools of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, where the rich and wealthy took their children for a decent education under the tutelage of the indefatigable Joseph Almeida.
In 1981, it charged Shs 31 as school fees for P1 to P6 pupils per term, according to an old school circular seen by Bbeg Media. P7 pupils paid Shs 50. The school has since dropped in standards thanks to the introduction of Universal Primary Education in 1997 which made it freely accessible to everyone leading to a surge in pupil numbers.
Even when one factors in inflation and Uganda’s currency reform of 1987, Shs 31 of 1981 would be equivalent to between Shs 210,000 and Shs 250,000 today. This would still be a bargain.
Today, a fairly good primary school (which is at the standard that Buganda Road PS was in 1981) will set you back at Shs 1.2 million per term. Some charge as high as Shs 2.5 million
It has been argued that the expansion of Uganda’s middle class in the 9os and 2000s has led to economic prosperity thus making it possible for many Ugandans to afford good schools.
Yet it is debatable that most of these schools are not to the standards of Buganda Road Primary School, Nakasero Primary School, Kitante Primary School, Shimoni Demonstration School and many others.
