Dr Obote College parents reject Balaam’s proposal, agree to continue paying “extraordinary fees”

Hundreds of parents whose children learn at Dr Obote College in Lira City have condemned a policy by the Minister of Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, which directs parents to stop paying school fees in all government-aided primary and secondary schools across the country.

The parents insisted that Dr Obote College Boroboro will remain a boarding school, aiming to continue providing better services to the people of the entire Lango region.

Parents reached the resolution on Saturday, October 3, during the parents’ end-of-year annual general meeting held at the College.

Parents unanimously agreed to continue supporting the school through the payment of school fees in order to ensure that Dr Obote College remains a centre of excellence in the country.

Addressing the meeting, William Onyanga, Chairperson of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), assured parents that Dr Obote College will do everything possible with the available resources collected to ensure that students, teachers, and non-teaching staff maintain the required standards.

Onyanga noted that the school wants to remain competitive with other institutions because parents do not want their children to stop their education midway due to the government’s directive on school fees.

Parents also emphasised that about 85–90% of the funds used at the college come from parents’ resources. They, therefore, rejected the government’s idea of stopping parents from paying school fees.

They stated that before implementing such an order, the government must first understand the true meaning of free education.

According to them, the government should have conducted enough research by assessing the challenges each school faces, such as students’ meals, dormitory conditions, laboratory status and equipment, and whether schools have enough teachers, especially as they continue to wait for government funds to run some activities.

Jasper Atim, one of the parents whose child is in Senior Five, stated clearly that parents of Dr Obote College Lira have agreed voluntarily, not by force, to continue supporting the school’s requirements so that learners can continue their education freely.

Nelson Obongo from Amolatar, whose child is in Senior Four, appreciated the management of Dr Obote College for promoting both the physical and spiritual development of their children.

He appealed to citizens to avoid living in fear, saying, “We are the right government of this country, whether we also have other top leaders.”

Joe Engola, a parent of a Senior Two student from Alebtong district, stated that Dr Obote College is the only traditional school in the Lango sub-region that has kept the fire burning.

“That is why I brought my child here. If we want a bright future for our children, let us concentrate on paying school fees. If other parents from other schools want free education, let them first try ignorance, as it is written in the book of Proverbs 23:23, which says, ‘Truth, Wisdom, Learning and good sense — these are worth paying for, but too valuable for you to sell,’” he said.

Betty from Kole, one of the parents whose son is in Senior Two, stated that it is not new to them that once you have children, all of them must get educated, whether by sending them to private or government schools, and parents are supposed to pay for some resources.

She said: “As parents of Dr Obote College, let the government know that we were not even complaining that we cannot afford paying school fees, because in history, free things are always very expensive. This is our resolution as parents, but not Rev. Dick Alengo, who is the head teacher.”

Addressing the parents, Rev. Dick Alengo, headteacher of Dr Obote College Lira, appreciated parents, teachers, students, the Board of Governors, management, and all staff who did a wonderful job to ensure that in the past four years since 2022, the school got 56 in Division One and others in Division Two.

He added that in 2023, about 93 passed in Division One and others in Division Two; in 2024, over 136 passed under the new curriculum with results in Division One; and in 2025, about 198 candidates also passed in Division One. He noted that the school has also excelled in UACE.

Headteacher Rev. Alengo also outlined several co-curricular activities such as athletics, rugby, football, baseball, volleyball, robotics, and scouting.

He said: “At Dr Obote College, we always ensure effective teaching and learning to achieve desired results, and our target remains to complete the syllabus in time, as our teachers cover it adequately. That is why the recent results released are very encouraging, with a good number of candidates scoring A’s.”

Rev. Alengo cautioned parents against fraudulent telephone calls from people who may claim to be members of staff of Dr Obote College Boroboro. He said the school has received reports of individuals calling parents and claiming that their children have fallen while bathing, sustained serious head injuries, or require urgent blood transfusion, and then asking parents to send money to a particular phone number.

He advised parents not to send any money in response to such calls, as they may be fraudulent attempts to obtain money from unsuspecting parents.

According to Rev. James Ayoung Abaca, one of the parents whose child is in Senior Four and also a product of Dr Obote College, “There is no way that I can leave Dr Obote College, and I am also so proud because my father was a student here.

“As parents of Dr Obote, we have the capacity to pay school fees for our children, and we are delighted to see that this great institution is progressing. This is our traditional school that has produced so many dignitaries in the history of this country.”

Diocesan Education Coordinator for Lango Diocese, who supervises learning for all Anglican churches in the Diocese, Christopher Odongo, appreciated the parents of Dr Obote College for coming out openly during the day to show the world that they do not want to play with their children’s future.

He said: “In this country, if you don’t have papers, people undermine your integrity. You may end up being recruited as a security guard, working on sugarcane farms, working on tea leaf farms, or doing boda boda work.

“Enough is enough. We also want our children to sit in different offices across the country.”

As parents, he said, “We shall do the needful work to ensure that our children study. How could it happen for a student coming from Acholi or even from Lango to start coming to school on a daily basis? No, no — Dr Obote College will not tolerate that mistake.”

Over 500 students have reportedly fled the school premises, with many seeking refuge in nearby bushes after police moved in to quell the riot.

The Jane Frances Acilo Foundation also announced that a new intake of students will be considered next year

District leaders expressed gratitude to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for extending the scholarship opportunity to deserving students from Lamwo.

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