School calendar: Are schools cheating parents?

Jan 07, 2007

SCHOOLS which did not meet government standards of 246 days of lessons last year, will face disciplinary action.

By Carol Natukunda

SCHOOLS which did not meet government standards of 246 days of lessons last year, will face disciplinary action.

Namirembe Bitamazire, the education minister, says: “We have been monitoring schools since the year started. We shall reprimand those who closed or opened earlier than the official dates. Let them give us a genuine reason why they did so.”

She says schools are expected to abide by the school calendar circulated by the Permanent Secretary of the education ministry every year.

The Permanent Secretary, Francis Lubanga, in an October 13, 2005 circular warned school heads against not following the calendar.

According to the 2006 calendar, first term had 75 days, second term, 89 days, while third term had 82 days. First and second term holidays were 30 days each, while the third term holiday is 58 days.

Lubanga warned that all government and private schools should follow the calendar and may only be varied after obtaining written permission from his office on the recommendation of the Director of Education.

“Wastage and loss of teaching and learning time at the beginning and end of term must be stopped and lessons should start,” Lubanga said.

Many schools habitually close a week or two before the official closing dates set by the ministry.

In urban areas, boarding schools spend an average sh1,200 on feeding per child. So a school of 1,000 students saves up to 1.2m a day if they close before the end of term. This excludes savings on other utilities like electricity bills and wages.

A mini-survey by Education Vision reveals that schools disobeyed the ministry. Students at Kigezi High School were sent home on November 30, despite the closing date of December 8. The headteacher, John Gimuguni, says they could not afford to keep ‘idle’ students at the school.

“They had finished exams and the official closing date was still far. We asked them to return for their report cards on December 8. You cannot mark or have their reports ready and at the same time keep them here doing nothing,” he said.

Critics, however, think schools that close earlier than the official date want to save money. Take, for instance, Kigezi High School estimates that over sh30m is spent on meals on average a term for about 1,000 students. This implies that each day, about sh375,000 is spent on meals. If the students go home a week earlier, the school could save sh2m.

Gimiguni refutes this. “We are not doing this to ‘chew’ the balance on their fees. In fact I still had enough posho and beans! All I am saying is, you cannot manage students who have finished their exams and are idle for, say, a whole week,” he says.

Joseph Mugenyi, the headteacher of Kampala Secondary School, however agrees with the critics.

“Breaking off a day earlier can make a huge difference,” says Mugenyi. “While on our part we stick to the calendar, those who do not are clearly cheating parents.”

Most school authorities deny the deliberate attempt to scheme on the students’ fees. Herbert Walugembe, the deputy headteacher at Katikamu Seventh Day Adventists that broke off two days earlier, said, “I don’t think the two days can justify claims that we benefited from the balance on fees. Even then, by the end of the term, our expenses are higher than our income. Prices of foodstuffs or bills are always increasing. We continue to pay water and electricity bills even when it is holiday time.”

Walugembe explains: “If we had closed on Friday, it would have interfered with the next day, which was a Sabbath.”

Richard Wabwiire, the headteacher of Ntinda View College which also closed earlier, says the A’ Level candidates needed a calm atmosphere to do their exams.

Other schools like Namirembe Hillside, Trinity College Nabbingo and Kibuli SS closed and opened earlier to ease transport for their students. “We wanted to avoid kavuyo for transport,” says Robert Kyaligonza, the headteacher of Namirembe Hillside.

However, Bitamazire maintains her stand: “Why should you charge parents and guardians for the whole term and then drop off their children several days earlier? This is not allowed. Even the school curriculum is made according to the hours in the term. So if you choose to close earlier, it means the curriculum will not be completed, which affects quality.”

She adds: “Do not open ahead of time. Children need their full holiday. There are parents and teachers who think children should be at school all the time. That is dangerous. Give children chance to relax.”

Fagil Mandy, an education consultant, describes as deceit the issue of going home much earlier. He is worried that parents will continue to suffer at the expense of school cheats.

“This is direct cheating. It means they are not teaching and then, later on, they begin coaching during holidays. A serious school cannot do that. If you lose any day on the calendar, you have simply lost,” Mandy says.

Bitamazire says more guidelines on the issue are in the offing, but calls upon parents to be more vigilant even on holiday coaching. “We do not support it,” she says.

However, the Ministry of Education secured some schools as marking centres for last year’s national examinations. It allowed such schools to close earlier. Uganda Martyrs’ Namugongo is one of them. It closed two weeks earlier.

Dr. JC Muyingo, Namugongo’s headteacher, says the ministry granted them permission to compensate for the lost time next term. “Students will stay two weeks longer,” he says.

What do parents say? “Let there be a law to fine guilty schools,” says a 40-year-old business woman.

Ben Bella Illakut, a parent and veteran journalist, blames the education ministry.

“They don’t have full authority over private schools. Besides, for public schools, teachers are underpaid and they close schools early to make a living through coaching.”

Another parent cuts in: “I wouldn’t feel cheated if my child’s school is always performing well. But I would worry if it is the worst performer and is the one wasting a lot of time.”

A typical student is indifferent. “School is boring. It is a relief when they tell us to go home earlier,” says a senior two student of a Kampala Secondary School.

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