‘What should I do?’ Unpredictable school fees bar many children in Africa from an education

Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The daily struggle to pay often unpredictable and unregulated school fees is a crushing issue for many across sub-Saharan Africa, where the lack of a few hundred dollars can determine a child’s future. The region has long had the world’s highest dropout rates. Reasons vary, but financial pain is the biggest. The World Bank found that parents across the region rank school fees more of a challenge than medical bills and other expenses. Even government-run schools can routinely bar students. In Uganda, parents describe constant phone calls from schools demanding money and making threats.