Kakumiro calls for teacher recruitment ban lift as shortage bites

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Authorities in Kakumiro have urged the Government to lift a ban on the recruitment of teachers in the district. They argue that the move will address the ongoing shortage of teachers, which is having a detrimental effect on learner performance in the district.

Kakumiro district education officer Wiliam Baleke says there is a shortfall of at least five to 10 teachers at every government-aided primary school in the district.

According to him, Kakumiro district has 83 government-aided primary schools and these schools have 768 teachers instead of the required 1,016 teachers.

“As Kakumiro district we are not at the point where one teacher is responsible for 52 pupils, as it is required. Some schools are supposed to have 20 teachers, but you find them having 10 teachers. In others, you find a teacher handling 100, 150 or 200 pupils and this affects our education standards and performance,” he said.

Pupils of Busanga Primary School. (Photo by Peter Abanabasazi)

He attributed the shortage to a government ban on the recruitment of additional teaching staff and called on the Government to lift this ban to allow the district to recruit teachers to address the challenge.

He also called on the government to address the infrastructure challenges in schools as many do not have enough classrooms and staff quarters.

Teachers moving long distances from their homes to school is contributing to absenteeism and late reporting, according to the DEO.

Parent failure to support their children

Baleke expressed concern over parents’ failure to heed the Government's calls to pack food for their children and the provision of uniforms. He said that half of the learners in the district study on empty stomachs.

He made the remarks on February 28, 2025, in an interview with New Vision Online, shortly after commissioning and handing over the concrete chain link fence installed by East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) to Busanga Primary School.

Kakumiro Resident District Commissioner Peter Bisoborwa said the communities have not appreciated the importance of education, and as a result, they keep school-going-age children at home to help them in farming and other domestic work.

He called for community engagement to address the poor mindset among the parents towards education.

Busanga Primary School headteacher Joseline Kiiza commended EACOP for the construction of the chain link fence, saying the initiative will address the challenges of escaping from school by pupils and teachers.

She noted that the fence is going to provide security for the school property and reduce the challenge of accidents of pupils who have been moving out to search for mangoes and food during lunchtime.

Deputy managing director of EACOP John Bosco Habumugisha said the chain link fence project was initiated after they discovered that children were exposed.

"At least two youth in every household where EACOP has passed have been trained and empowered with skills; we have so far trained over 1,000 youth in different skills, we are also offering sanitary pads for the girl child in schools; we have also started another program of greening schools, and we are planning to start engaging schools on the issue of road safety,” Habumugisha said.