Politics ruin free learning

The UPE scheme might have started as a political pledge but there is no doubt that the politics is now undermining it. Kampala government-aided primary school teachers said at a mid-week meeting that the political angle attached to the Universal Primary Education (UPE) policy is doing more harm than good. Teachers say the politics attached to the programme is seriously hindering its implementation since those break away from the government line are "dealt with." The teachers were also angry at the government's recent exercise during which police raided their schools seizing several registers. They felt betrayed and highly suspected political interference in what is otherwise meant to be pure professional work. Professionalism is, however, lacking in the way Greenhill Academy is operating if reports that they are conducting lessons from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm hold any water. The Kampala-based school might be striving to consolidate its position among the top schools in the country but in the wrong way. The school timetable is clear. Schools are supposed to end classes early enough (around 4:30 pm) to allow pupils take part in co-curricular activities. But the Greenhill administration has only chosen to pump the young children with material thereby annoying some of the parents. Fagil Mandy, Commissioner for Inspectorate, is equally annoyed and has ordered for a probe into the allegations. There was, however, no time for a probe before government directed all its-aided primary schools to stop operating kindergartens within their premises. Mandy says the provision of pre-primary (nursery) education is a private affair and government facilities cannot, in any way, be used for it. Sounds like another warning to Kampala schools whose nursery children have been benefiting from UPE grants. The Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi is, however, taking advantage of the political atmosphere to do good business. University authorities saw it wise to open two new campuses in Kampala-at Caltec Academy and the Uganda Catholic Social Training Centre. Their counterparts at the Uganda Christian University Mukono also decided to do serious business, albeit of another type. They added 600 heads to their student population and were quick to warn them to be responsible since they are now on their own. St. Joseph's Vocational Institute, Kamuli did not do business but was in it after receiving an estimated US $40,000 (about sh64m) worth of tools and musical equipment from Mr. Peters Matheau, the Dutch Ambassador to Uganda. Ends.