I strongly disagree with Free Universal Primary Education. Education for all has turned out to be no education for many!!! As we tried to make education free for everyone, government outstretched its financial arm.
The Rich and the middle class took their children out of UPE schools and off to Private Schools. This meant that there was no one left to speak out for the education standards in these schools. The voices exited because of other options
Those who left their children in UPE schools, pay nothing to keep them there. Because they pay nothing, the education standards do not concern them. If you don't pay for something, you can't ask for accountability.
The end result of UPE is an education that's churning out half-baked children, who can neither read or write. Who can neither think nor interrogate ideas. In the end, by trying to make education free for all, we produced the worst of outcomes.
I joined Shimoni Demonstration School before the introduction of UPE. The quality of education was superb. Then came UPE, standards fell all of a sudden, the rich and middle class took their children to better schools. The poor were left to deal with their 'education'.
Research shows that when parents pay something, however small, to schools, they are more interested in the education standards of the school. They form an accountability arm that keeps the school in balance.
This is why Mulago too has declined over the years. Our governments are trying to run a welfare state on a budget of a poor nation. Show me which country in the world provided free education, free healthcare at the same level of per capita income.
In private schools, parents comprise the school monitoring arm. We can only spur the same in UPE schools by requiring parents to pay something. Otherwise we shall continue having high enrollment rates with reducing qualities of education! It is a dystopia!
