Coaching: Schools seek Ministry's permission

By Joan Mugenzi THREE schools have approached the Ministry of Education and Sports asking to be allowed to conduct holiday studies, Education Vision has learnt. An insider told Education Vision that Sir Apollo Kaggwa Primary School, Happy Hours in Bwaise and another school from Mityana have approached the ministry for fear of serious measures to be taken against them. This follows a story in Education Vision last week concerning Hill Top Academy in Seguku whose operations were suspended when found conducting holiday classes. The 55 pupils in P6 and P7 at Hill Top were found hiding in a bush atop a hill when the Ministry of Education officials went there. "The schools in mention wrote asking that they be allowed to begin their terms early but apparently they have been operating," the source said. Kampala Parents School is also said to be one of the schools that sought permission to be allowed to begin early. They did this even before the ministry operation, the source said. Education Vision could not get a comment from the senior inspector of schools in charge of private school or the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Secondary Schools as they were reported out of office. Moses Otyek and John Agaba respectively, played a leading role in cracking down Hill Top Academy. The Ministry of Education does not allow holiday studies unless otherwise. Ministry regulations state: "the calendar must be complied with and may only be varied by official public announcement or written permission obtained on an individual basis from the Permanent Secretary on the recommendation of the Director of Education until Education Standards Agency (ESA) is put in place, in which case the authority to recommend a change in the school calendar may change." Ends.