By Conan Businge

THE day Government started paying tuition for all school going children, was the say parents ‘declared’ a holiday from taking care about their children’s education. What a shame.

Almost all school management committee became dull. Government stood at a distance and barked, but did not care to bite. Years down the road, the rot seems to be perforating its way through free education’s foundation in the country.

A decade down the road, Government is gradually realising that the parents stealthily put so much weight on its back, and this is gradually eating down the country’s quality of education. 

A decade-a-half ago, Government started free education in the country. Years later, in 2004, it was followed by free O’level education and now free A’level education. But, amidst all the achievements attained, parents are gradually shunning their responsibilities.

School management committees are legitimate bodies provided for in Uganda’s Education Act 2008. With a maximum composition of 12 members, these committees are supposed to oversee management, and also represent the local community and parents’ interests in the school. The members help to supervise the head teacher and know what is going on in the day-to-day running of the school.

School management committees, if strengthened, can be very instrumental. But they are of no use nowadays. Reason! Government policised the free service of education it had offered the common man.

As millions of pupils spend afternoons at school on empty stomach, a recent report by teachers strongly recommends that Government takes on the duty to feed them.

If Government cannot feed children in public schools, the teachers’  report recommends that all schools get gardens, parents be allowed to pay lunch fees or alternatively contribute raw food which will be eaten by pupils.

Various reports which show that keeping children hungry at school leads to poor concentration and mental abilities, absenteeism, bad behaviour, poor health drop-out from school.  Reports also show children cannot concentrate in class, especially in the afternoon, on empty stomachs. 

It should also be remembered that free primary education was a Presidential Pledge made during the 1996 campaigns and later fulfilled in 1997.

In the past, parents used to pay fees and would take part in determining the development projects in schools. All that is lost nowadays under free education; a factor which is repeatedly cited as a reason for the increased deterioration of the quality of graduates from free education schools in the country.

Whereas the Education Act 2008 tasks parents to provide lunch for their children, they have failed to do according to the memo.

Government is now gradually accepting that without provision of lunch to pupils in schools, the quality of education will continue going down. No matter the quality and number of teachers, desks and classrooms the schools got, the quality of education seems to be taking a down train every other year, basing on Government and non-government organisations’ reports.

Government is now patching up new guidelines yet to be released officially; here school management committees will be allowed to collect and manage money for lunch. This is as long as the parents accept to pay money instead of packing food for their children.

Under free primary education, feeding children is a responsibility of parents. School heads are prohibited from charging parents any extra money.

However, some people say it is too early celebrate the new move.

A number of people are convinced that with direct Government appointees, this will change. A case in point which always cited in the Kampala City Council Authority with an executive director, instead of having the city headed by politicians.

It is argued by some people that the executive director of the Capital City has been more practical than any Mayor in such a short time.

If Government cannot feed children in public schools, the teachers’  report recommends that all schools get gardens, parents be allowed to pay lunch fees or alternatively contribute raw food which will be eaten by pupils.

Government would have to part with over sh730bn per academic year to feed children, which is almost half of the entire budget for the education sector in a given financial year.

Will the parents now take up their responsibility and help Government promote free education in the county. Without them reverting to the old system of supporting education, the country’s free education programme, seems headed for a big ditch.