Kitgum District Council on Monday approved a policy to harmonize Parent–Teacher Association (PTA) contributions across all 91 government-aided primary schools in the district. Currently, PTA payments vary widely among schools, with some institutions charging significantly higher fees than others. This disparity has resulted in unequal access to educational resources, extracurricular activities, and learner support services.
The newly approved policy seeks to standardise PTA contributions to ensure equity, allowing learners across the district to benefit from similar resources regardless of a school’s location or financial capacity. Ocitti Dayan, the councilor for Lalano Sub-county, explained that under the proposal, parents will contribute Shs14,000 in the first term and Shs11,000 in both the second and third terms, bringing the total annual contribution to Shs36,000.
“We are not saying that each term parents should pay Shs36,000. The money is paid term by term, but for the whole year it adds up to Shs36,000, and that money is used to support all school needs,” Ocitti explained. Some council members cautioned against enforcing PTA payments in a manner that could exclude learners from school. Raymond Ocan, councillor for Pandwong Division, noted that while government programmes such as Universal Primary Education (UPE) discourage additional charges, schools still face operational realities.
“If we implement everything the government says in totality, we may derail education. We should collect PTA, but we must be careful not to chase learners away from school because they have not paid,” Ocan said.Echoing the concern, Bosco Okettayot, councillor for Labongo Akwang Sub-county, said his area had already resolved that no child should be sent home due to PTA arrears.
“We agreed that head teachers should not chase children. Instead, PTA executives, School Management Committees and local leaders should follow up parents from their homes. Because of that approach, parents are now paying without force,” Okettayot said.
James Okello, Chairperson of the Kitgum Head Teachers’ Association, said the proposal aims to curb excessive charges imposed by some schools while supporting development activities. “Some schools overcharge parents, and this is not fair. A uniform amount will support development and help PTA activities operate properly,” Okello said.District Education Officer (DEO) Anthony Lam said the harmonised PTA contribution is intended to address persistent gaps that remain despite government support under UPE, particularly school feeding.
Under the new arrangement, parents will pay Shs14,000 in Term One and Shs11,000 in each of Terms Two and Three.Lam explained that a school with about 500 pupils would be able to raise sufficient funds to support at least one daily meal for learners once the government’s school feeding policy is rolled out.
Lam emphasised that school feeding is a priority, noting that reliable meals improve attendance and learning outcomes. “If we harmonize the payment, the advantage is that schools can collectively purchase food items and ensure learners receive at least a meal at school,” he said.
The policy is also expected to help address teacher shortages. Lam noted that the district has not yet received a full government wage allocation, leaving many schools understaffed. As a result, school management committees rely on PTA-funded teachers to supplement government-paid staff.
“How do we motivate them to work? The only option available is to use PTA funds to pay at least one or two teachers to complement the syllabus teachers. My expectation is that this will have a positive effect on performance,” Lam said.In addition, part of the harmonised PTA funds will be allocated to improving school security following repeated thefts of solar panels and lightning arrestors installed on school buildings.
Lam described the initiative as a foundational step toward stabilising learning conditions and improving academic performance across the district. “We look at this as a fundamental initiative that will support our schools and bring meaningful change in performance,” he said.
The District Education Department said implementation guidelines will be shared with School Management Committees and parents ahead of the next school term. Lam added that the department will spend the whole of next year engaging parents, teachers, and local leaders to address concerns before full implementation.
“We may not need to start it now, but we wish to give them time so that they prepare themselves for one full year, because when you start immediately, they are going to complain,” Lam said. The policy, which is expected to take effect in 2027, is viewed as a necessary step toward addressing funding disparities, supporting school feeding programmes, improving security, and enhancing the quality of education.
District Council Speaker Bosco Ocen said the uniform PTA contribution forms part of broader efforts to improve education performance in Kitgum District, which currently lags behind Kitgum Municipality. “When you compare our district performance with the municipality, they are far much better because of differences in payments and resources.
Private schools also perform well because they invest more, and parents are happy when results are good,” Ocen said.He said council members were prepared to support the resolution as long as it delivers improved results, while warning against practices that could disenfranchise learners. “As we pass this resolution, we must be mindful of procedures and avoid disadvantaging children and chasing them from school. Parents and teachers must be sensitised to understand that education systems are changing,” Ocen added.
The Speaker advised the DEO to engage communities thoroughly, noting that council retains the authority to reverse the decision if it fails to improve performance. “If this system helps us meet our targets, then we have no problem. But if it makes us fail more, we shall rescind it,” he said.
Discussions on harmonising PTA contributions began in 2024 during a head teachers’ meeting before the proposal was presented to the Education Committee and later tabled before council for debate and approval. Kitgum District has recorded poor Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) performance over the past five years, with nearly 50 percent of candidates scoring Division IV, U, and X.
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