Schools face closure over holiday teaching

By Andrew Ssenyonga

HEAD Teachers operating public school will be fired if they are found conducting holiday classes, the Ministry of Education and Sports has said.

Benson Kule, the Commissioner Secondary Education, said this time round they will not compromise with anyone who will be caught breaking the law.

He made the warning on Tuesday while opening a three day teacher mentors’ refresher training at Nabisunsa Girls School Kampala.

The training was organised by BRAC and the Master Card Foundation for the teachers to prepare learners for the future.

Kule also stressed that private schools found conducting such holiday lessons or coaching children, will be closed immediately and teachers arrested.

He said private tuition during holiday, remain banned and all those found in breach will face disciplinary and legal consequences.

“It is wrong to take advantage of parents’ ignorance, to extort money from them in the name of coaching their children,” Kule added.

He said parents should not force their children into holiday studies, saying that school calendars were intentionally designed for a holistic development of the learners.

“Holiday tuition deprives learners of good academic development, and waters down education quality instead of improving it,” Kule noted.

Kule stressed that though holiday tuition is illegal; there is still a silent tug of war between parents and teachers on whether pupils should attend extra classes after schools close.

Hanifah Nalukwago, a teacher at Katikamu SDA, in Luwero district, noted that some teachers deliberately skip topics to teach them during holidays to earn extra money.

“That is fraud. Those engaged in the act should be punished accordingly,” she said.

She noted that the money levied on parents for holiday studies was to blame for laxity of teachers during the official term dates, leaving the syllabus uncovered.

This comes after scores of pupils and students have been seen on streets of Kampala going to school yet its holiday time.

Grace Sennoga the Master Card Foundation communications manager said such trainings help teachers to acquire new skills.