Parents of students in boarding secondary schools have criticised the government decision to cut funding of school feeding programme under the 12-Year Basic Education (12YBE) programme.

In separate interviews with The New Times, the parents were reacting to last week’s Ministry of Education announcement that indicated plans to support students from vulnerable families with Rwf100 each per day to meet their contribution toward the school lunch, starting the next academic year.

Addressing a news conference last week, Olivier Rwamukwaya, the minister of state for primary and secondary education, said the money will be deducted from the capitation grant that government has been sending to boarding secondary schools.

"We have decided that the funds that we were previously sending to boarding secondary schools will be shared with 12YBE to improve their learning environment,” he said.

"This will obviously require parents who have students in boarding schools to pay more school fees and they should start getting ready from the on-going holidays to embrace the changes. We have already informed District Education Officers on how to implement this decision starting the next academic year.”

The government support was supposed to start beginning of the just-ended academic year but the money was not disbursed until last month.

The expected support disbursement will be a boost to many parents and managers of 12YBE schools, making learning environment more conducive to both students and educators.

Parents wary of fees raise

However, the decision has not been well received by parents with children in boarding schools, warning it would lead to a drastic increase in school fees.

"I have been struggling to pay school fees for my three children in boarding schools but it has become worse now that fees has increased by Rwf9,300 per student per term at Ecole des Sciences de Byimana, and I expect similar increment at Kiziguro Secondary School where I have two children,” said Hemed Kazimoto, a parent from Gatsibo District.

"This decision will push many students from boarding schools to 12YBE while they performed well to merit schools of excellence.”

Kazimoto added that it is discouraging to educate a child in 12YBE schools when they merit a boarding school, where the learning environment is more conducive and performance in national examinations is higher.

Fr Pierre Célestin Rwirangira, the principal of GS Officiel de Butare, said the school has been raising fees at 75 per cent and the rate will obviously decrease because fees have increased from Rwf66,250 to Rwf75,250 per student per term.

"Some parents have been struggling to pay full school fees and it will be harder following the increase by Rwf9,000 per term. However, it is vital to equally share government’s support between boarding and day schools to improve performance in 12YBE schools, Fr Rwirangira said.

The government has been supporting every student in boarding schools with Rwf156 per day but the fee will reduce depending on the number of students to be supported over school lunch in every district, according to Rwamukwaya.

The National Leadership Retreat, last year, resolved to introduce compulsory meals for students, which was supposed to be paid for by parents, but a few months after the introduction of the programme countrywide last year, it was observed that there are vulnerable families that could not afford the contributions that vary from Rwf8,000 to Rwf12,000 per term per student depending on the school.

Umushyikirano decision

The 12th National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano), thus resolved in December last year that the government has to support vulnerable families in the first Ubudehe social stratification category to meet their contribution toward their children’s school meals.

"Support of Rwf100 constitutes a half of the maximum required daily contribution for school lunch and a parent will have to contribute the remaining part. As of September, over 114,000 had benefitted from the total support of Rwf1.4 billion countrywide but the figure will always be changing depending on students’ mobility,” Rwamukwaya said.

"We will also continue to mobilise different donors to support this programme and some have started getting on board, including Compassion International and World Food Programme. The District Education Scheme will also intervene to ensure that small amounts are deducted from the boarding schools.”

As of October, the contributions toward the school feeding programme stood at 69 per cent but the remaining 31 per cent include students who live near schools and take lunch from home, according to Rwamukwaya.

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