第2524期:Cost of Attending School Keeps Children Home(1)

The World Bank said last year that 54 percent of adults in Africa south of the Sahara Desert ranked the issue of paying school costs higher than medical or other costs. 世界银行去年表示，撒哈拉沙漠以南非洲 54% 的成年人认为支付学费问题比医疗或其他费用问题更重要。 The aid organization said school fees were the biggest financial worry for 40 percent of people in Uganda. In that country, a top government-supported school reportedly costs $700 for a three-month term. That is a lot of money in a country where yearly economic activity per person was $864 in 2023. 该援助组织表示，学费是 40% 的乌干达人最大的经济担忧。据报道，在那个国家，一所政府支持的顶级学校三个月的学费为 700 美元。对于一个 2023 年人均年经济活动为 864 美元的国家来说，这是一笔巨款。World Bank information shows that African countries in the area also have the highest rates of children out of school in the world. Parents in Uganda report unpredictable increases in the cost of attending school, or tuition, as a cause of tension. Some critics are calling for laws to protect parents from exploitation. 世界银行的信息显示，该地区的非洲国家儿童失学率也是世界上最高的。乌干达的家长们表示，上学费用或学费的不可预测的增加是造成紧张局势的原因之一。一些批评者呼吁制定法律来保护父母免受剥削。 The Equal Opportunities Commission is a government agency that reports on the issues of inequality and discrimination. It released a report in September that called for punishment against government-supported schools that demand fees that are too high. It warned that arbitrarily raising fees can force children to drop out of school. 平等机会委员会是一个报告不平等和歧视问题的政府机构。它在九月份发布了一份报告，呼吁对收费过高的政府支持学校进行惩罚。它警告说，任意提高学费可能会迫使儿童辍学。 The Uganda Bureau of Statistics says that children’s attendance in early grades is about 68 percent. But the percentage falls to 22 percent for secondary school. The main reason given is financial difficulty. 乌干达统计局称，儿童早期年级的出勤率约为 68%。但中学阶段这一比例下降至 22%。给出的主要原因是财务困难。 Uganda has a program of secondary education for all students. It was introduced in 2007. However, schools are not in good condition. The schools usually do not require tuition, but parents must pay for uniforms, textbooks and other costs. 乌干达为所有学生制定了中等教育计划。它于2007年推出。然而，学校状况不佳。学校通常不需要学费，但家长必须支付校服、课本和其他费用。Private schools are more popular but also more costly. Spokesperson for the Ministry of Education Dennis Mugimba said the government is not interested in making rules about prices. Mugimba said setting private school fees is “purely administrative and it is adjusted according to the business environment.” But he said costs linked to “capital development” should not be the responsibility of parents. 私立学校更受欢迎，但成本也更高。教育部发言人丹尼斯·穆金巴 (Dennis Mugimba) 表示，政府对制定价格规则不感兴趣。穆金巴表示，私立学校收费的设定“纯粹是行政性的，会根据商业环境进行调整”。但他表示，与“资本发展”相关的成本不应该由父母承担。