Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze has appealed to Ugandans to stop craving for ‘high ranked’ schools.

“I get so much bothered by this pressure from all sections asking for help to secure vacancies for children in the ‘highly ranked’ schools (Kisubi, Ntare, Namagunga, Gayaza, etc). I honestly don't like this,” he wrote on his @FrankTumwebazek Twitter account on Saturday, February 18.

He noted that as a person who studied in the most rural schools, considered to be Third World and yet managed to pass and get university admission on merit, he believes others can also achieve that.

“I believe that a child can excel in any school whether at Kisubi, Rwamwanja or Kazo (Senior Secondary School) where I studied from. We need to guide our people to stop this craving for the so-called ‘high ranked’ schools,” he said.

The minister also suggested that the system for selections/admissions to government schools whether “high or low ranked” should be reformed and made more transparent.

“It shouldn't be any more at the discretion of head teachers. An online IT education management system can best solve this to remove human interference. Schools will set their cut-offs and the maximum numbers they want. Then the online system will sort out all the applicants for each school as per the set qualification parameters. Human bias, lobbying, alleged bribery, etc will all be eliminated,” he said, adding that those were his personal views.

Tumwebaze went to Bisozi Primary School in his district of Kamwenge, Kazo Senior Secondary School for O’level and Old Kampala Senior Secondary School for his A’level.

He joined Mbarara University of Science and Technology and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in education. 

He later joined Makerere University and graduated in 2005 with a master’s degree in international relations and diplomatic studies.

In November 2021, Tumwebaze graduated from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) in Tanzania with a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).

“We study not to accumulate papers, but rather to accumulate knowledge for better judgement and appreciation of issues. To my family, you are the anchor factor of success in my life. I thank you and love (you) always,” he said in a tweet. 

His classmates he graduated from ESAMI with were the Government Chief Whip Thomas Tayebwa (now Deputy Speaker of Parliament) and the minister of state for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, Esther Anyakun.

“Congratulations friends and classmates of intake 40 MBA #ESAMI class. Your support and encouragement gave some of us great traction to move on and reach this day.” Tumwebaze tweeted.