School drags parent to court for failing to pay shs80 million fees debt

Galaxy International School Uganda(GISU) has dragged a parent to court for defaulting on paying school fees totaling to $21602 (approximately 80 million shillings).

According to documents before the civil division of the High Court in Kampala filed by the school accountant Margaret Naimanye, Clement Rugomwa’s four children were enrolled at the school during the academic year 2016 and 2017 and complied to the requirement of paying tuition fees and other fees.

However, the school accountant says the parent defaulted on paying the fees and refused to heed to calls to have him pay.

“Following the failure of the defendant (parent) to pay his children’s arrears and outstanding fees, his children were consequently dismissed from the school,” reads in part the documents before the High Court.

“Through its employees and lawyers, the plaintiff (school) has made several demands for payment of the outstanding amount but these have gone unheeded by the defendant.

The court has however asked Rugomwa to file his defence in the matter within 15 days from December 15 when the case was filed.

However there have been cases whgen parents have sued schools over levying unreasonable fees.

In 2017, parents dragged Aga Khan Education Services to court for increasing tuition fees almost every year.

The parents in an August 18, 2017 suit through their lawyers Kavuma Kabenge and Company Advocates said that school does not consult them or give them sound reasons before hiking fees.

They also sued the commissioner for Private Schools and Institutions at the Education Ministry for failure on his mandate of monitoring the activities of the school.

The parents asked court to issue and order stopping the schools from increasing fees and any other charges they said were illegal.