Private schools: The face behind attractive buildings

Sep 29, 2009

I am a trained teacher in a private school and I would like open the nation’s eyes on the filth that lie within those beautiful school buildings. Most private schools are business oriented institutions that are out to make money not offer education.

I am a trained teacher in a private school and I would like open the nation’s eyes on the filth that lie within those beautiful school buildings. Most private schools are business oriented institutions that are out to make money not offer education.

Having taught in private schools for the last seven years, I have the experience to disclose this. These schools charge lots of money for tuition fees and yet pay the teachers peanuts.

With a change in training policy, many grade three teachers are flouting because primary schools these days prefer to employ more diploma holders than certificate holders.

Most of the grade three teachers are unemployment while others spend many years looking for employment.

When they eventually get employed, the schools take advantage of their desperation and exploit them beyond limits. There are schools where teachers spend over sixmonths without pay.

Instead they are given sugar, flour, cooking oil and beans. These teachers have no option but to continue teaching in the face of the exploitation because it is better than sitting at home.

In such schools trained teachers earn as little as sh50, 000 per month. There are private primary schools employing desperate graduate teachers and paying them sh100, 000 per month as salary. Furthermore, this money comes in installments of as little as sh10, 000.

Are these private schools being monitored at all by the ministry of education? Why does the government allow education to be privatised to this level? I once taught in a private school where the director would warn teachers to ensure that all the pupils ‘pass’.

‘There is no way a parent can pay all this fees and the child fails at the end of the term. Do whatever you can to make sure the children are promoted to the next class,’ the director would say.

One day, I had to go through a science paper with the weak pupils in my class prior to exams just to ensure that they all pass. Parents are not aware of the rot that goes on in the so called private schools. It is purely business, not education! Parents pay through their nose while teachers are exploited.

I advise parents to see beyond the beautiful structures when looking for a good school. Some schools are far from what they appear to be from outside.

Most of these well - built private schools are like white washed graves. The external glamour cover heaps of filth that is only known to the insiders. Watch out especially for schools that are investing millions in advertising. Some of them are changing teachers every term.

Evelyn Namatovu
Kitintale

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