However, some schools continue to face challenges recovering accumulated fees arrears, with administrators complaining that some parents abandon their children’s examination results at schools without clearing outstanding balances.
Parents of Primary Seven candidates at Ronah Junior and Primary School in Nansana Municipality, Wakiso district have accused the school administration of hiding their children from them after completing the 2026 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) over outstanding school fees.
The parents, who had gone to collect their children after the examinations, said they were left stranded at the school gate after the administration allegedly locked them out and refused to release the candidates until they cleared their outstanding fees.
In a video clip circulating on social media, some parents are heard threatening to report the matter to the Police, arguing that although schools may withhold examination results over unpaid fees, they have no right to detain children.
“I need my child. Failure to comply, I am seeking police intervention. What you are doing is illegal. This is unlawful confinement,” an unidentified woman is heard telling a security guard at the school gate.
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Other parents expressed concern over the welfare of their children, questioning why the school would keep them away from their families after completing their examinations.
“What could happen if anything bad happens to our children? You are torturing them for nothing. We need them. If it means spending the night here, we are ready until the Police come to our rescue,” some parents are heard saying.
The incident has brought renewed attention to tensions between schools and parents over unpaid fees, particularly as economic hardships continue to leave some families struggling to meet their financial obligations to educational institutions.
During the 2026 examination period, the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) and the Ministry of Education and Sports cautioned school administrators against denying registered candidates the opportunity to sit their national examinations over outstanding fees, warning that those who violated the directive risked prosecution.
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However, some schools continue to face challenges recovering accumulated fees arrears, with administrators complaining that some parents abandon their children’s examination results at schools without clearing outstanding balances.
UNEB has previously provided schools with an opportunity to submit lists of candidates whose parents have outstanding fees ahead of the release of examination results, allowing the board to facilitate recovery of the money through withholding the examination results, without interfering with candidates’ right to sit examinations.
School administrators have, however, argued that withholding results remains one of the few avenues available to compel parents to settle outstanding fees and enable schools to meet their operational costs.
The incident at Rona Junior School raises questions about how schools can recover unpaid fees without compromising children’s rights and welfare.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the school administrators were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
