Giving a child the best in life is every parent’s dream but achieving this comes with quality education. Obviously, a good school is the necessary tool for cementing a strong foundation. Unfortunately, because of the numerous financial obligations some parents cannot sustain timely fees payments and struggle to raise school fees every term.

After the Government of Rwanda introduced the 9-year and 12-year basic education programmes that removed fees, there was a drastic increase in the enrolment levels. In primary alone, enrolment almost doubled over the decade, with an average annual growth rate of 5.4 per cent between 1998 and 2009, to reach almost 2.2 million students in 2008, according to figures from the World Bank. The other reality though is that many other children study in private schools where they have to part with huge sums of money in school fees payments. So, how can those with limited resources handle school fees in private schools?

Negotiate with school authorities

Whereas private schools have a totally different arrangement for fees defaulters, Rwanda Education Board director-general Janvier Ismael Gasana advises parents with limited finances to enter negotiations with school authorities to be given a grace period.

"It is advisable that parents take an initiative to discuss with school administrators on fees payments if they face any hardships other than disrupting the student’s learning all the time because of fees,” says Gasana.

Boniface Onyango, the principle of Riviera High School, echoes Gasana’s views but explains that such negotiations apply to specific categories of parents. 

"The lumpsum may appear huge but a new parent should pay the full amount unless reasons are genuine to allow exceptions,” he says.

Onyango adds that once a parent is allowed to pay in bits, the school does not necessarily dictate how much should be paid.

"Such an arrangement is subject to discussion and we don’t necessarily dictate how much one has to pay. The amount depends on individual ability,” he adds.

At Kigali Parents Secondary School, where fees ranges between Rwf 200,000 to 300,000 per term, Nelson Tabu the headmaster, says honesty determines the percentage and duration of payments for parents with limited resources.

He explains that the school is forced to dictate the percentages if it has previously witnessed a poor record of payments.

"Not all parents are the same; some are persistent with defaulting and may be required to pay more as a down payment. It all depends on the relationship parents have with the school,” says Tabu.

Just like Tabu, Sam Nkurunziza, the headmaster of Kagarama Secondary School, where fees is about Rwf 70,500, advises that parents should not send their children to school without fees before notifying authorities.

"What we don’t allow is parents sending their students to school on the first day without clearing the school fees. As a must, the parent must come in person in case they have challenges and we can discuss how to clear the dues,” Nkurunziza explains.

Diana Nawati, the head teacher at Mother Mary Complex, explains that payment plans are agreed upon with the finance department but as a must, a bigger portion has to be remitted as down payment.

"The first payment category covers up to 70 per cent of the whole amount and the remaining 30 per cent has to be paid within 40 days,” Nawati explains.

And in the unlikely event that parents cannot afford the first payment, a 60 per cent down payment is submitted, then 20 per cent after 40 days and 20 per cent before the end of the term. If this fails, the parent pays monthly installments they can afford, she explains.

"It is very rare to exhaust all these options before reaching a clear conclusion but as a last resort, monthly payments are left at the discretion of the parent’s convenience,” Nawati adds.

Insurance and student loans

Nonetheless, private education does not come cheap and the value of payments can as well be affected by the changes in monetary value, especially for international schools that use foreign currency.

However, experts suggest that insurance schemes that accommodate affordable premiums can alleviate these problems to guarantee a child’s education through higher learning institutions.

Reuben Kibiru, the chief executive officer of Britam, an insurance company, explains that insurance schemes for school fees have not yet picked up in Rwanda although other areas in the region use them a lot.

"Elsewhere, insurance products for education have been effectively adopted and most parents are now paying small premiums annually depending on the products. We are exploring the market here in Rwanda, but this is a window parents can use to guarantee uninterrupted studies,” he says.

For higher institutions of learning, education loans are an alternative to address the tuition requirements. These have a lower interest rate compared to personal loans, and currently they are managed under an office by the Rwanda Development Bank (BRD) after government injected about Rwf40 billion to boost the fund.

Currently, public universities charge Rwf600,000 as tuition fees each academic year, while students who are eligible for the monthly stipend receive an extra Rwf25,000 that is covered under the loan paid on employment after school.

Parents echo their views

While most parents choose private schools because of the smaller numbers and good facilities, the exorbitant school fees can be irritating to most of them.

"Many private schools are coming onto the market, so one would suppose that the charges should go down, but instead, you find that every term the schools are just increasing their fees,” says Theoneste Mugume, a parent in Kinyinya.

For Betty Mugiraneza, a parent in Kicukiro, the practice of sending children home because of unpaid fees is unfair because there is no compensation for lost time.

"Some schools are only interested in profits, so they send children back home forcing them to miss lessons. I have never had any school compensate for those lost lessons. Instead, they expect you to pay the full amount before the term ends,” says Mugiraneza.

However, Alphonse Sinamenye, a parent in Remera, says partial payments are time consuming and inconveniencing. He instead would prefer a school giving him more time to find the full amount.

"If I don’t have the money, it means you are just pushing me hard by making me pay in installments. Unless I sell my property, I can’t raise money instantly, but after agreeing on a date, it’s easy to clear all the dues,” says Sinamenye.

Although school dues can be hefty for parents, brilliant students can reduce this burden of expenditure by taking advantage of scholarships and bursaries. Such awards of excellence are also available in co-curricular activities such as sports, music, dance and drama.

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PARENTS, LEARNERS SPEAK OUT

Jean-Claude Nshimiyimana, S5 student at GS RugandoWhen I was in S2, I used to be in and out of school due to pending school fees arrears I accumulated in S1. It was hard to cope up with others whenever I resumed school, but my parents had to negotiate with the school and they allowed me to pay in installments they could afford monthly.

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Solange Uwingabire,a parent from RemeraSchool fees can be a challenge for a parent with more than one child in school, especially for those who are poor. Whenever they are sent home, it affects their academic performance and they generally lose interest in studying.

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Isabella Mbabazi, a parent from KicukiroWhenever my children are sent home for school fees, it is a tough situation to deal with because they can’t concentrate on their studies. It feels bad because while those who remained in school continue with the syllabus, ours lag behind. This in the longrun affects their performance.

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Innocent Ntambara, S2 student at Apaper SchoolI have been sent home several times over school fees, but whenever I reach home my parents do their best to get me back. However, some students take long to resume, and therefore lose a lot of time copying notes of what they missed.

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Esperance Uwimana, S6 student at GS RugandoMost of the time my parents are not in position to pay all of the school fees at once since we are two children in high school. It is a challenge for us because when you miss one concept, you can never be at the same as others.