Education: Are LCs playing their part?

Dec 27, 2006

The role of local governments in education is spelt out in the education ministry’s guidelines on policy, roles and responsibility of stakeholders in the implementation of the Universal Primary Education (UPE). However, there are many questions concerning how they are dislodging these roles. <b>Jo

The role of local governments in education is spelt out in the education ministry’s guidelines on policy, roles and responsibility of stakeholders in the implementation of the Universal Primary Education (UPE). However, there are many questions concerning how they are dislodging these roles. Joshua Kato writes

Education minister Namirembe Bitamazire is concerned that some local leaders do not know enough about the education system or do not bother to find out what is going on in their districts. Bitamazire expressed her concern at a recent stakeholders workshop in Mukono District.

There are also reports of ghost teachers and pupils. There are also cases of absentee headteachers, misappropriation of UPE grants and collapsing classrooms as a result of shoddy work. About 70% of UPE pupils still drop out of school by the time they reach Primary Seven.

Under the UPE policy guidelines, local leaders are responsible for ensuring the success of UPE through monitoring classroom construction, provision of furniture and facilitating the transfer of teachers. Their other responsibilities include; contributing to the development of education policies, providing access roads to schools, providing safe water and sanitation, mobilising parents to send children to school and setting up by-laws.

Local Governments also manage the appointment and transfer of teachers and are supposed to ensure proper utilisation of capitation grants.

Local councils are responsible for ascertaining the number of teachers and pupils in schools. Bitamazire urged local leaders to visit schools without warning the administrations, saying they would find out more about the schools.

The challenges
The issue of how to force children to go to school is troubling several local leaders. Masaka LC5 chairman Vincent Ssempijja laments: “Many children are found working in gardens during school hours.”

Some local councils have even discussed setting up by-laws to ensure that children go to school. “We could set up penalties for parents who do not take their children to school,” says Jackson Bambalira, the chairman of Bundibugyo.

“However, the problem is, we cannot round up the children and take them to court because they are underage. More so, even the parents cannot be charged under any law. It is difficult to enforce a by-law to that effect,” Bambalira added.

Who is to blame for ghost teachers and pupils?
A survey done two years ago found out that ghost pupils accounted for up to 30% of the enrollment in some districts.
It is estimated that at least sh5b is annually lost to ghosts teachers. Early this year, over 3,000 ghost teachers were discovered on the pay roll in Kamuli district.

In Mukono, the LC5 chairman, Lukooya Mukoome, recently said they had unearthed about 500 ghost pupils and ghost teachers. Lukooya blamed some of the district officials for maintaining ghosts.

However, Kaliro LC5 chairman Elijah Kagoda blames education ministry officials for colluding to maintain ghosts in districts. “We have carried out several headcounts in the district to weed out ghosts, but the ministry brings back the same old figures that include the ghosts,” he complained.

Bitamazire defended the ministry, arguing that the main responsibility of knowing how many pupils or teachers a district has lies with the district education officer, who is appointed by the district council.
Ghosts are also blamed on poor facilitation for the inspectorate departments of districts.

“In Manafwa, we have no means of transport for the inspectorate department. Not even a bicycle. How can we ensure that schools are teaching effectively?” wondered Charles Walimbwa, the LC5 chairman.

In many districts, most education department vehicles are used by other departments and not for the work they are intended.

Ibanda LC5 chairman Meriki Kazwengye, called on local leaders to ensure the school inspectors did their job if ghosts are to be stamped out.

Bitamazire encouraged district leaders to invest more in the inspectorate departments instead of lamenting. “I have seen districts like Ntungamo where their investment in education is good and the local leaders follow whatever is going on. Some districts invest 20% while others invest 1% of their revenue in education and the difference is clear,” she commented.

Bitamazire also urged local leaders to take seriously the release of funds when announced in the newspapers and make follow-ups.

Districts and Classroom Construction
With UPE, the Government instituted the School Facilities Grant (SFG) to boost the construction of classrooms, teachers’ houses and toilets. The award of contracts for the SFG is handled by the District Tender Boards.

The programme started in 1998. Since then, more than 30,800 classrooms, 1,500 teachers’ houses, 29,070 pit-latrines and 507,010 desks have been supplied. However, there are still reports of shoddy work as a result of corruption. In some districts, some structures collapsed even before they were commissioned while an engineering audit shows that more than half of the classrooms constructed under SFG will not last the 30-year expected lifespan.

Nakawa resident district commissioner Samuel Mpimbaza Hashaka accuses district leaders of taking bribes from contractors. “After bribing to get a tender, contractors find themselves with little money to do good work,” he says.

Some LCs blamed poor supervision. “The contracts are awarded by the district which makes it hard for LC3 leaders to effectively supervise them,” says Nasser Takuba, the LC3 Chairman of Kawempe Division.

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