USE schools get sh17b textbooks

 
By Chris Kiwawulo   
      
The education ministry has started distributing free text books to 1563 schools under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) program in an effort to improve post primary education countrywide.

The ministry put aside $6.7m (about sh17b) for 2.7 million textbooks that will go to the selected government and private schools that are participating in the implementation of the USE program, according to a statement from the education ministry.

The money is part of the $150m that the government of Uganda received from the World Bank towards implementing the Uganda Post Primary Education and Training (UPPET) program, the statement signed by John Mary Agaba on behalf of the education ministry's permanent secretary, Francis Lubanga.

“M/S MK Publishers was contracted supply and deliver the textbooks to selected USE secondary schools (Government and Private) in the country. The selected secondary schools will receive a specified number of textbooks depending on student enrolment,” the ministry explained.

A table showing the list of the books to be distributed that New Vision has seen shows that the schools are to get text books for the subjects of; English, Chemistry, History and Geography.

Whereas some schools got more than 1000 textbooks especially for English, others got less than 50 while some schools like Mbarara College and Tropical SS Bwera got no history textbook.

Asked whether there was any criteria followed while allocating the text books, Fortunate Ahimbisibwe, the ministry's communications specialist said; “There is no particular criteria followed. All the government schools and the private ones that are implementing the Use program will receive the books.”

Ahimbisibwe said that government allocates money for buying text books in schools every year, adding that emphasis had been on primary schools (Universal Primary Education) in the past years but was this year put on secondary schools (USE).

The education ministry therefore asked head teachers, Chairpersons School Board of Governors and PTA (Parents and Teachers' Association) representatives to be present at the schools to receive the textbooks.

“Head teachers should ensure that there is someone with an official school stamp to receive the textbooks. On receipt of the textbooks, the head teacher is required to acknowledge receipt of the goods and issue out a “Goods Received Note”, whose copy should be submitted to the undersigned within seven (7) days,” the ministry's statement read.

The ministry asked school heads to report in writing any discrepancies noted to the Commissioner Secondary Education as well as write a brief report on the suitability of the goods within seven (7) days after delivery.