Museveni Cautions Against Using Food as Excuse to Charge School Fees.

MBARARA.President Yoweri Museveni has warned schools in Uganda’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) programs to stop using food as an excuse to charge fees, emphasizing that education should be completely free.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Ankole Zonal Industrial Skilling Hub in Mbarara District, Museveni stressed that education is about acquiring knowledge, and not about eating.

He advised schools to sensitize parents to organize packed lunches for their children, removing the financial burden from universal education.

Museveni drew from his personal experience, recalling how his mother, the late Esteri Kokundeka, used to pack his school lunch. “I am here and I’m the President of Uganda, and my mother used to pack school lunch for me,” he said.

CUE IN… MUSEVENI ON PACKING FOOD

The President compared the government’s expenditure on the Skilling hubs, which provide free training, food, and accommodation, to that of UPE and USE schools. He noted that while the Skilling hubs are more expensive due to the provision of food and accommodation, UPE and USE schools near students’ homes don’t require such expenses.

CUE IN… MUSEVENI ON SKILLING HUB EXPENSES

Leaders from the Ankole sub-region, including Bazil Bataringaya, head of the Ankole Parliamentary caucus, Margaret Rwebyambu, Mbarara District Woman MP, and Robert Mwesigwa Rukari, Mbarara City North MP, requested an increase in the number of entrants to the Skilling hub, citing the high number of unemployed youths in their areas.

CUE IN…MPS ON SKILLING HUBS

Meanwhile, graduates from the hub appealed to the government to intensify the free skilling initiative by improving its accessibility to more youths. They also shared testimonies on how the skills they acquired have enabled them to establish their own businesses.

CUE IN… SKILING HUB GRADUATES