Empower ESC

The Education Service Commission (ESC), the body responsible for recruiting and dismissing teachers has failed to keep records of the number teachers in the country. ESC chairman, Hajji Badru Lubega Wagwa, appeared before the social services committee last week. He admitted that the problem stems from the fact the commission is not autonomous. Therefore it cannot act without authorisation from the Education Ministry. This is bad news for teachers and all education stakeholders. The ESC is an important, Constitutional body. It needs autonomy and financial backing to execute its functions. It needs to have full powers over the recruitment, payment, discipline and de-registration of errant teachers. Such functions can only be executed when it is self-accounting, and has the capacity to keep records of all the teachers, in both private and government schools. Putting the ESC under the mercy of the ministries of Public Service or Education is rendering it the proverbial toothless dog. It also undermines its powers which are clearly spelt out in the Constitution. So government should empower the ESC. power.bury its head in the sand but move to either empower it by giving it the mandate to conduct its work independently or abolish it to save the taxpayers’ money spent on maintaining the commissioners.