______________

MASINDI

Masindi district is grappling with a huge mismatch in the teacher-to-pupil ratio. 

While the ideal ratio should be one teacher to 40 learners, Kijunjubwa Primary School has a ratio of one teacher to 62 learners. The school, which has an enrollment of about 500 pupils, has only eight teachers out of the recommended 13. Kyatiri Primary School has over 1,800 pupils but with 21 teachers making it a ratio of 1:86 and Nyambindo Primary School has 800 pupils with nine teachers making a ratio of 1:88, among other schools.

Teacher-pupil ratio, also known as student-teacher ratio, is a key metric used in education to describe the relationship between the number of students enrolled in a school and the number of teachers available to instruct them. It is expressed as a numerical ratio, indicating how many students there are for each teacher.

The teacher-pupil ratio is an important indicator of the level of individual attention and support that students can receive in their learning environment. A lower ratio generally implies that each student has access to more personalised instruction and support from teachers, while a higher ratio may indicate larger class sizes and potentially less individual attention for students. The teacher-to-student ratio can have a major effect on a child's learning and development.

Now, stakeholders say the suspension of Masindi District Services Commission (DSC) eight months ago is partly to blame considering that the education department is the most affected.

We are being overworked

Some teachers who spoke to New Vision Online on condition of anonymity said they're being overworked.

"Some of us are teaching in four classes. You are forced to even teach subjects which you never specialised because you have to cover up," a teacher explained.

The primary role of a DSC is to recruit staff, discipline, confirm staff, promote and also to fire.

Information obtained from Masindi district local government indicate the district has a shortfall of over 50 teachers.

Silvia Karungi, the secretary for social services, says there was a mass mobilisation for parents to take children to school, adding that schools are flooded with many pupils but few teachers.

"In some schools, classes are supposed to be divided into streams but due to lack of teachers this can't be done. They have to be congested in one classroom such that the learn at once. A short fall of 52 teachers is a big number. Our prayer to the concerned has been to allow the DSC to reopen such that these gaps are filled. One teacher can't effectively handle over 100 pupils in a classroom," Karungi says.

According to district chairperson Cosmas Byaruhanga, the district is going to lose a lot of wage at the end of the financial year due to the district council's decision to indefinitely suspend commission sittings on July 27, 2023.

"We have not had results for some interviewees released to date. This has caused a lot of disharmony in the district," Byaruhanga says.

"Last financial year, we were supposed to recruit 32 teachers and 20 this financial year but (this) hasn't been done. We are greatly affected. We have not even advertised. We have also lost key positions like the senior lands management, we have no doctors, principal community development officer at the municipality, DHO and the agriculture officer among others," he adds.

Also, Masindi does not have substantive heads of departments in most of key departments including education, health, Production and works.

Illegal decision

Earlier, the CAO had told New Vision Online how the decision was illegal and a breach of the people's trust.

"The district service commission is the centre of service delivery in the district because it hires, disciplines, confirms staff and also fires. In the financial year 2021/2022, about 30 civil servants retired but they were not replaced. In the financial year 2022/23, about 24 retired but they weren't replaced. Even now, people are retiring but the commission is closed. There's no work in lands because there is no senior land officer and the surveyor," Sanyu said.

How it started

The suspension of the commission's sittings came about after Benjamin Byarugaba the chairperson district service commission presented a report to council saying that he had failed to effectively perform his duties due to the alleged influence peddling, political interference and technical misguidance from both the district boss Cosmas Byaruhanga and Phiona Sanyu the District chief administrative officer.

When the council discussed the district Chairperson service commission's report, three commissioners from the district service commission including Byaruhanga Explained Victor Ojok, Swain Kyamanywa and Juliet Kwiryara had secured an injunction from Masindi high court restraining the council from discussing anything about the commission.

The commissioners had run to court after they had learnt that the council was planning to disband the commission during the council meeting. Though there was an order restraining council from debating anything about the service commission, it went a head and did it.

After the decision by council to suspend the commission members dragged Moses Kiirya the district speaker and councilors including; Denis Tumwine and Gladys Namande councilors representing workers, and William Mwambu for PWDs to Masindi high court over contempt of court.

Isah Sserunkuma, the Masindi resident judge, issued a judgement on February 2, 2024 ordering the accused to pay sh6M over contempt of court.

In their application, the applicants wanted court to issue a warrant of arrest against the defendants for convening a district council sitting that resolved to suspend the commission's sittings despite a court order retraining them from doing so.

They also asked the court to expunge the minutes of the council sitting held on July 27th, 2023.

Sserunkuma, however, ruled that the first respondent which was Masindi district local government, represented by the chief administrative officer, Phiona Sanyu, never defied the court order, and was therefore not condemned to the costs.

The judge also expunged the minutes for the district council sitting held on July 27, 2023, saying it was held in bad faith.

After the court ruling the councilors accused of contempt of court led by William Mwambu put in a notice of appeal saying they were not satisfied by the court ruling.

Reconciliation Interventions made

Following the suspension of the DSC, a number of reconciliation Interventions have been made by elders, religious leaders, ministers, officials from different ministries among others to reconcile the parties in vain.

The latest have been by Balaam Barugahara the appointed state minister for gender in charge of youths and children affairs and also by Tom Magambo the director CID to have a consent agreement done by the conflicting parties in vain.

Balaam Barugahara, the newly appointed state minister for gender in charge of youths and children affairs. (file)

The permanent secretary of the Ministry of local government, Ben Kumumanya on October 3, 2023 also wrote to Phiona Sanyu, the chief administrative officer Masindi, describing the decision which had been made by Masindi district council to suspend the (DSC) as a nullity saying that it couldn't be implemented at all.

Kumumanya's communication followed a letter by Sanyu dated September 29, 2023 where she sought guidance from the permanent secretary Ministry of local government after the district council suspended.

Following the court ruling, On Tuesday March 12, 2024 during a council meeting, residents and different stakeholders in the district expected the district to rescind the decision following a court ruling but people were shocked to see the district speaker Moses Kiirya informing the council how they were not ready to do so.

"Council is in the process of accepting the operation of commission sittings but the due process is not yet complete for it to resume it's work. But I have hope that we shall make it. Good enough we have council next week and I am hopeful that council will reopen it officially," explained Kiirya.

What's the latest

William Mwambu, the PWDs councilor, told the New Vision that the councilors who were accused of contempt of court were called to Masindi high court through their lawyer Ronald Murungi expecting to sign a consent agreement but they were surprised to find a notice to show cause why they shouldn't be arrested over failure to pay sh6m fine which accrued from the contempt of court ruling.

"We thought we were invited to sign the consent agreement before the assistant registrar, Juliet Nakitende, as we had agreed in the reconciliation but we were surprised to see them wanting us arrested," he said.

Nakitende ordered the councilors and the speaker to have paid the sh6m by April 4, 2024or else be arrested.

LC5 boss speaks

“According to me, it's the chairperson DSC who doesn't want to work. He should have started working following the court ruling. This is because is incompetent. He is waiting for the council and yet it has no mandate over the court ruling".

He added that: He doesn't want to work because his daughter wasn't appointed, therefore, he can't do any other work. I am contemplating and also consulting on how to remove him from office in public interest due to his level of incompetency. We have discovered that he doesn't even qualify because he has no experience. He had never worked in any reputable organisation for at least 10 years. That's why he is lacking experience.

Chairperson DSC speaks out

Responding to Byaruhanga's comments, Benjamin Byarugaba the chairperson DSC said the problem is misunderstanding the fact.

"The district chairperson is accusing me of incompetency out of ignorance, can he tell me why he believes I am incompetent? If I am, why was I appointed and vetted? So this is not right. Can he also substantiate the issue if saying I want my daughter to be given a job first? Those are allegations because I have never said that and why would I do that?" Byarugaba asked.

He noted all what's happening wouldn't have happened if it wasn't dishonesty among the district leaders.