§ Mr. Hilary BennTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the extent of fees being charged to pupils attending schools in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. [151665]
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§ Clare ShortWe believe that primary education should be free and that no child should be denied access to a basic education because the costs, direct or indirect, cannot be met by the household. School fees are an example of a direct cost, but there may be indirect charges for books, uniforms and exams which can make education unaffordable to many.
The equitable financing of education is a key issue for achieving universal primary education by 2015. Accordingly, assessments are made by DFID at country level of the extent to which fees or indirect costs are charged to primary school pupils. Support for the planned transition to free primary education is a priority for us. We have seen some progress. In Zambia, the Government have recently announced the abolition of fees for primary school children, including those for examination entry. Tanzania has committed to abolishing primary school fees by 2001, but there are still significant challenges. In Malawi, for example, primary schooling is nominally free but there are still hidden costs which need to be addressed. In Kenya parents do not pay primary school fees, but instead must pay for books, school levy, uniforms and examination fees.