Education ministry to establish toll free line

By Frederick Kiwanuka

UPE parents will soon be able to report school malpractices using a toll free line which the Ministry of education is establishing.

The state minister for primary education, John Muyingo said parents with complaints will be reporting directly to his office using the toll free line.

Muyingo who is also the Member of Parliament for Bamunanika said the most common school malpractices include: teacher absenteeism, mistreatment of pupils and charging of illegal fees by head teachers.

Muyingo made the revelation while addressing beneficiaries of Bamunanika Child Education Fund (BACEF), a scholarship program under which he pays school fees for 2250 disadvantaged students from Bamunanika.

“I hear that some teachers no longer give notes. Instead they sell pamphlets to students. Others charge special fees for books. This is theft. If you see such a case call me and very soon I am going to establish a toll free line,” Muyingo said at the meeting that was held at Sekamuli P/S in Bamunanika, Monday afternoon.

It was attended by some of the beneficiary students and their guardians from Bamunanika sub-county.

Muyingo emphasized that students are not supposed to pay special fees for books and notes, because both costs are covered under tuition.

Muyingo’s political assistant, William Mwebe said bank cheques totaling 700 have been signed by the minister in payment of second term school fees for the 2250 students who are under the BACEF bursary program.

Mwebe who oversees the implementation of the scholarship program said the 2250 students are being sponsored in both secondary schools and tertiary institutions .He said the bursary program covers both tuition and boarding fees.

The coordinator of the bursary program, Christopher Matabi said many of the beneficiaries were performing well in the schools where they were taken. He cited the example of Robert Yiga who got points in last year’s UACE and had been admitted at Mbarara University for surgery and medicine.

Matabi however complained that some of the sponsored students had abandoned studies and had instead indulged in indiscipline behavior while one girl became pregnant and got expelled from school.

The BACEF Sub-county chairman for Bamunanika sub-county Jimmy urged parents of the beneficiary students to inculcate discipline in their children so as to benefit from the bursaries.

Muyingo warned the parents under his bursary scheme that they were supposed to pay only for the uniform because all the other costs are covered by bursary.