Wanyange Girls Secondary School in Jinja, Uganda, has raised its fees by Shs 300,000 per term across all classes, the Nile Post reported. The flat tuition charge will rise from Shs 1.1 million to Shs 1.4 million for the 2027 academic year. The school announced the increase at its annual general meeting on Sunday, November 1.
Parents objected, calling the rise too steep. Several proposed a smaller increase of Shs 150,000. They said the extra cost would make it harder for families to keep their daughters in school. PTA chairman Thomas Ikanga told the meeting that the parents' association had already approved the increase on October 2. That effectively closed the door on the appeal.
Headteacher Deborah Basekanakyo Wesonga defended the decision. She said the school faces higher prices for commodities, fuel, utilities and services. It is also building dormitories and drilling for water. The aim is to give learners running water in their bathrooms and toilets. She said Wanyange still charges the lowest fees among the country's legacy high schools. Parents who cannot pay at once may split the fees into two instalments. The first is due at the start of term, the second in the fourth week.
The school relies heavily on parents to cover its costs. It has 1,002 students and 104 staff, according to the headteacher. Only 33 staff members are on the government payroll. The school pays the other 71 from fees. Recent projects include the first phase of a storeyed A-Level dormitory and six teaching staff apartments. A basketball court and a 100,000-litre water reservoir have also been added. The PTA chairman said irregular pumping by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation has caused water shortages.
The fee rise comes as Ugandan households face higher costs for food, fuel and transport. Citing Reuters, the Nile Post said Uganda's annual headline inflation rose to 5.8% in October 2026. That is its highest level since June 2023. In January 2022, the Ministry of Education ordered schools to keep their pre-lockdown fees. Several schools defied the order, and enforcement remained a challenge. An Economic Policy Research Centre study later found that seven in 10 surveyed schools raised fees again in the first term of 2023.
Academically, the school said 91% of its 2025 A-Level candidates qualified for admission to public universities. Its best student scored 20 points in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.