The student’s recent pleas for affordable education are understandable, but the demand for free education is fiscally impossible. Amongst lessons learned from the abolishment of School Development Funds is that government funding is not adequate to maintain schools’ administration hence schools have designed various funding models, even rural school with excellent performance, to sustain their operations.
We recently also learned how pressure brings about great ideas. I am referring to the recent land deal and the proposed solidarity tax. Soon our students will provide a solution on how to fund free tertiary education. While these types of reactionary solutions are anticipated I am particularly concerned about the standard and level of national forecasting of population growth in relation to food security, social welfare, education, employment and wealth building. The following institutions must pronounce their forecasts to avoid a vicious cycle; the Office of the President and it’s A Team; National Planning Commission (including the National Statistics Agency); Office of the Prime Minister (Cabinet and its ministries); Corporates and civil society institutions.
Are we failing to forecast? If so then we are definitely planning to fail. In relation to education, for example, the current NCHE’s funding formula for NUST and UNAM (wonder why only those two and not a general provision for tertiary institutions on determined terms and conditions) might become irrelevant in the absence of a basic education funding framework / formula. Another example, we are informed that the regions’ primary and secondary schools ratios are unbalanced. Furthermore we are well aware of the creation of suburbs without these basics. By the way there are no universities designated for private school learners. My point therefore is that AllEducationFeesMustFall within fiscal proportions.
Kaarina Nduuvunawa Amutenya