Schools won’t charge fees for USE
Feb 15, 2007
SCHOOLS will not be allowed to charge any money from students benefiting from the Universal Secondary Education scheme, Parliament heard yesterday.
By Joyce Namutebi
SCHOOLS will not be allowed to charge any money from students benefiting from the Universal Secondary Education scheme, Parliament heard yesterday.
“There is no topping up. USE candidates will not pay any extra funds,†John Geoffrey Mbabazi, director of education at the Ministry of Education and Sports, told the social services committee.
He revealed that the Government is providing sh5m per school and sh29,420 per student enrolled in government-aided schools. For private schools, the Government is providing sh47,000 per student, he stated. However, he noted that parents would be responsible for feeding their children.
Mbabazi was part of the team led by the State Minister for Higher Education, Gabriel Opio, to answer questions raised by the committee. Others present were permanent secretary Francis Lubanga, Uganda National Examination Board chairman Prof. Lutalo Bbosa and secretary Matthew Bukenya.
The committee chaired by Mayuge MP James Kubeketerya, wanted answers on examination malpractices, leakages and cancelled ‘O’ Level results, in addition to the progress regarding the implementation of USE.
Bukenya said the board encourages students whose Senior Four results were cancelled and those who failed to repeat the year.
He revealed that the board also decided that when a candidate is deemed to have cheated in one paper, the candidate loses the whole examination. “UNEB thinks that once you have cheated for one paper, it means you had the intention to cheat,†he said.
Bukenya singled out station 094 in Kahunge, Kamwenge district as the source of examination leakage, adding that 16 people had been charged in court.
He explained: “The leakage was caused by the Area Supervisor, Mr. Ssekitoleko Lwanga. Papers proved to have been affected were Mathematics papers 1 and 2.â€
Lubanga said no Government school was allowed to admit student who got over aggregate 28, while private schools were free to take on students who got up to 32.
SCHOOLS will not be allowed to charge any money from students benefiting from the Universal Secondary Education scheme, Parliament heard yesterday.
“There is no topping up. USE candidates will not pay any extra funds,†John Geoffrey Mbabazi, director of education at the Ministry of Education and Sports, told the social services committee.
He revealed that the Government is providing sh5m per school and sh29,420 per student enrolled in government-aided schools. For private schools, the Government is providing sh47,000 per student, he stated. However, he noted that parents would be responsible for feeding their children.
Mbabazi was part of the team led by the State Minister for Higher Education, Gabriel Opio, to answer questions raised by the committee. Others present were permanent secretary Francis Lubanga, Uganda National Examination Board chairman Prof. Lutalo Bbosa and secretary Matthew Bukenya.
The committee chaired by Mayuge MP James Kubeketerya, wanted answers on examination malpractices, leakages and cancelled ‘O’ Level results, in addition to the progress regarding the implementation of USE.
Bukenya said the board encourages students whose Senior Four results were cancelled and those who failed to repeat the year.
He revealed that the board also decided that when a candidate is deemed to have cheated in one paper, the candidate loses the whole examination. “UNEB thinks that once you have cheated for one paper, it means you had the intention to cheat,†he said.
Bukenya singled out station 094 in Kahunge, Kamwenge district as the source of examination leakage, adding that 16 people had been charged in court.
He explained: “The leakage was caused by the Area Supervisor, Mr. Ssekitoleko Lwanga. Papers proved to have been affected were Mathematics papers 1 and 2.â€
Lubanga said no Government school was allowed to admit student who got over aggregate 28, while private schools were free to take on students who got up to 32.