The President of Uganda, Yoweri K. Museveni, has warned heads of schools in Universal Education against making parents pay charges, saying that it is a crime.
The President was speaking at the fundraising ceremony for the construction of Lwengo District Muslim headquarters and Health Centre IV at Mbirizi Lwengo Town Council on March 21, 2024, where he said that those reintroducing fees in government schools are making a big mistake.
“The issue of free education started in 1996. It was implemented in 1997. But as Kitata was saying, some of the people did not understand the meaning of this free education. We knew that many families could not afford it, and that’s why we said that if the parents cannot, let the government pay for them. Therefore, those who are bringing back charges in government schools are making a very big mistake,” President Museveni said.
The president further stressed the importance of education in population control, stating that if people are educated, the problem of a large population will be controlled since people will start having fewer children.
“The school here was able to get 10 first grades. So it can work. If we do that, the whole country will come up. And even what you are fearing, the production of many children will also be controlled,” the president said.
He added,” Having too many children is part of not having enough information. But also, in the past, they were right. Because they had many children as insurance if some die, some stay, but if you know that if I have two children, they will all survive, then the fear will go away. And the women will now learn not to have too many children so that they spend all their time having children instead of developing.”
During his speech, Sheikh Shaban Mubaje, the Grand Mufti of Uganda, lauded President Museveni for promoting togetherness and not discriminating between tribes and religions.
“I would like to thank President Museveni for promoting togetherness. You don’t discriminate against tribes, and when you build places of worship, you build for Muslims, Anglicans, Catholics, and Pentecostals,” Sheikh Mubaje said.
Mubaje also thanked the president for how he managed HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and the Coronavirus, saying that this has reduced the rate of mortality in Uganda.
Sheikh Mubaje called upon Muslims to stop discriminating against other people from other religions.
“Fellow Muslims, I ask you to stop discriminating against people from other religions, calling them Pagans. Instead, let us work together. This health centre IV is not only going to be for Muslims but for all Ugandans,” Mubaje urged.
The fundraising ceremony for the construction of the Lwengo District Muslim headquarters and Health Centre IV was a significant event aimed at gathering financial support for the development of this essential infrastructure.
According to the organisers, the ceremony is a community effort to raise funds for the construction of the headquarters and healthcare facility, which will serve the Muslim community in the district, highlighting the community’s commitment to improving healthcare access and infrastructure within the region.
