By THE OBSERVER UG
Ministry officials address pupils of Gayaza Junior Schools who were found attending lessons during the inspection
All schools and technical institutions planning to open their doors for students before February 5, 2024, the official opening date, risk being closed by the ministry of Education and Sports, writes YUDAYA NANGONZI.
The ministry directive of adherence to the school calendar which also blocks schools from teaching during the holidays is being enforced by the Directorate of Education Standards (DES) – the quality assurance arm of the ministry.
Last week, DES officials conducted surprise visits in various schools following tip-offs from whistleblowers to enforce compliance with the ministry guidelines. The commissioner in charge of pre-primary and primary school standards, Doreen Ankunda, said the move is aimed at ensuring that schools don’t exert unnecessary pressure on the learners.
“It is unfortunate that schools keep children under academic stress and pressure throughout the year. When we give them holidays, they still want to cheat on their free time meant for social, emotional, physical growth, and development with their families,” Ankunda said.
She explained that some schools use the holiday time to extort money from the parents who are also required to pay school fees in full as the term officially begins. In some schools, the parents complained to the officials that the holiday classes had been made compulsory.
SCHOOL FIELD VISITS
Out of the several visits, The Observer took part in at least five; at Green Hill Academy Buwaate, Gayaza Junior School, St Savio Junior School, Kisubi, St Theresa Girls Schools, and St Donozio Ssebuggwawo Kisubi Boys School. At Green Hill Buwaate, the inspectors found children being engaged in music and swimming lessons from 9 am to 1 pm.
Whereas those studying violin classes had left, the team found other children inside the swimming pool. Children were being charged Shs 150,000 for three weeks to access the pool. The personal assistant to the Green Hill head teacher [Benon Takirambudde] who wasn’t at the school, Elizabeth Nabukeera, was ordered to immediately close the pool and make arrangements to refund parents their money.
The DES officials’ move left the coaches disgruntled as the swimming and music classes are meant to resume when the school term begins as part of co-curricular activities. The inspectors proceeded to Gayaza Junior School where pupils promoted to P7 this year had reported and attending lessons.
The head teacher, Sarah Tebugulwa Kizito, was pressed to defend the early reopening but she declined to delve much into the inspectors in her office space.
“My kind request is that you accept my apology. I am sorry for this. That is the only thing that I can say,” a shaky Tebugulwa with teary eyes told the inspectors.
She added: “We request that you forgive us since it’s our first time to do this. We have learnt our mistake and we shall not repeat it.”
The team directed her to call an assembly to address the pupils about the mishap but she humbly requested the team that she wasn’t in a better state to address the pupils – to which the team agreed – and handed over an implementation notice dated January 17, before exiting her office.
It was alleged that P6 learners at Gayaza had also reported but by the time the team left the school, the allegations could not be confirmed. At least 238 Gayaza pupils were promoted to P7 last year. At the time of the inspection, a head count revealed 216 pupils had reported back on January 14.
Each pupil was charged Shs 250,000 for the three-week holiday programme. This money doesn’t include term one 2024 school fees of P7 pupils of Shs 1,350,000. Ankunda said she had interacted with the children and they informed her that they had not rested enough before they returned to school.
“Life is not only about academics. The children need to engage in domestic activities and teachers need time to do their private work during the holidays. We don’t come up with these calendars to pass time but to help schools plan better,” Ankunda told the Gayaza head teacher before ordering her to either refund the money to the parents or advise them to make top-ups for term one fees.
As of Thursday last week, all children had long been picked by their parents.
SAVIO, KISUBI BOYS
At St Savio Junior School, Kisubi, the head teacher, Bro James Mukhwana, burst into laughter when the team informed him that they received information that he had reopened early. Renovations were ongoing at the school and most classrooms were locked.
“We have been holding interviews for new entrants and the parents you see around with kids have either come for their admissions or school uniforms. At our new branch, we are also closed. We are faithful and always open on Monday officially for all children.”
Last year, the school promoted 260 pupils to P7. When they report for the new term, Mukhwana said they normally have evening lessons to compensate for any lost time.
“We have no arrangement for holiday programmes and if teachers do so, they do it at an individual level,” he said.
The head teacher of St Donozio Ssebuggwawo Kisubi Boys PS, Bro John Mary Vianney Twongyeire, was also ordered to stop the music lessons that were running at the school.
“My intentions for the music classes were good but if people out there reported that we are teaching during holidays, then we have no option but to obey the ministry orders,” Twongyeire said.
According to George Okidi, a senior inspector at DES, schools that closed early to give room for national education activities like marking exams and sports, are allowed to open early upon seeking permission from the ministry’s permanent secretary. He said that even schools that suffered any challenges that disrupted the normal school term can seek permission to reopen early or extend beyond the school term.
The Observer understands that inspectors in local governments are by law allowed to recommend the closure of schools violating the guidelines but many have their hands tied.
“The primary school teachers and head teachers are managed by the local governments. As a result, some politicians in the local governments have a lot of power over them. For fear of being interdicted or dismissed for closing a school, the inspectors – sometimes – fear the school proprietors. As a result, DES swings into action to assist them,” a source said.
Surprise inspections to continue
The assistant commissioner in charge of Education Standards, Judith Akurut, told The Observer that the “surprise” inspections will continue across the country until February 1, 2024.
“If a school is caught on the second attempt [of reopening early], disciplinary action shall be taken against the head teacher. We may interdict the head teachers or suspend them from duty. Follow-up visits will also be made in all the schools that were visited last week,” Akurut said.
When the school calendar starts on February 5, inspectors will be on the lookout for schools that enroll children below eight years in boarding sections and penalize them for contravening the ministry guidelines. Schools without designated boarding facilities will also be closed.
Akurut urged head teachers to adhere to the approved school calendar and desist from conditioning parents to send pupils back to school before time. The school’s first term will run for 89 days from February 5 to May 3, 2024. Term two will begin on May 27 and end on August 23 while the third term will commence on September 16 and close on December 6, 2024.
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