The education journey of 12 bright and needy students at Friends Lukala Secondary School is on tenterhooks as parents are unable to raise school fees. The crisis has forced the learning institution to raise a distress call to well-wishers so that the children are not locked out and denied the chance to pursue their dreams.
The victims are all in Form One and Form Two, 4 boys and 8 girls. All of them are disadvantaged children, with some of them being total orphans, others having living parents who cannot afford the high school fees. According to the school’s deputy principal, Jemimah Nekesa, they had continued accommodating the children despite their fee arrears.
“Sometimes when we send them home for school fees, they stay away for too long, forcing us to allow them to stay while others go home,” Nekesa said.
The school has reached out for assistance to national government leaders at county and national levels, as well as all citizens of goodwill. In particular, they have called upon the Woman Representative, Elsie Muhanda, to support these girls through the NGAAF. Muhanda has a credible record in supporting more than 600 girls; thus, she might be the beckon of hope to these students.
NGAAF has always been affirmative about funding students in need at all levels of education. With great leaders like Elsie Muhanda, NGAAF has filled the gap for quite a number of students who would otherwise miss out on their education due to financial constraints.
The case of Friends Lukala Secondary School underlines the reason for community support in education. The school has been doing the best in cushioning these learners, allowing them to study without paying fees—of course an option that is not viable in the long run either. The accrued balances have reached a point where some external assistance is being called for.