Minister blames parents on UPE dropouts

May 30, 2004

STATE minister for primary education Geradin Namirembe Bitamazire has blamed the rising UPE pupil dropout on parents and teacher laxity.

By Moses Nsubuga

STATE minister for primary education Geradin Namirembe Bitamazire has blamed the rising UPE pupil dropout on parents and teacher laxity.

Touring government aided primary schools in Kiboga district, Bitamazire said it was worrying that out of the 12,096 pupils who enrolled under the UPE program in 1997, only 4,000 sat for last years’ PLE exams in Kiboga district.

“The government have come up with a law to prosecute parents who force children out of school either to marry them off or involve them in domestic chores,” Bitamazire said.

While saying she opposed a law against parents who fail to send their children to school, she will now support parliament in formulating such a law so that culprits can be jailed.

She urged teachers not force pupils to repeat any class since the pupils’ poor performance could be partly attributed to poor teaching skills.

She warned headteachers and teachers against absenteeism saying it contributed to many failures in the UPE programs.

“I wonder why Kiboga district got less than 1% first grades compared to other schools in Kampala yet they use the same syllabus,” she said. Bitamazire added that many head teachers keep away all the time and fail to monitor and supervise their teachers’ performance. S

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