22 schools closed over poor dorms

Jul 04, 2008

TWENTY-TWO schools in the central region have been closed by the ministry of education for running unregistered boarding facilities. One of the schools in Mubende had only three teachers.

By Conan Businge

TWENTY-TWO schools in the central region have been closed by the ministry of education for running unregistered boarding facilities. One of the schools in Mubende had only three teachers.

The inspectors instructed them to send the pupils home immediately to pave way for renovations.

School inspectors are on a mission to assess the safety, security and sanitation of the schools in the districts of Mityana, Mukono, Mpigi and Mubende.

According to senior inspector Patrick Balyomugera in Mityana, most school heads were claiming to have sent application forms to the district education officer a year ago. “They claim they have been abandoned by the district officials. We need to follow this up.”

The ministry’s guidelines require the heads of the schools to register the boarding sections. The facilities are supposed to be inspected and a certificate awarded, before being used as boarding facilities.

In Mubende the inspector, George Kayabuzi, ordered the closure of Hillside College, Kigando SS, Kyenda Koran Progressive SS and St. Peters Voc Training Centre. The other was Buliisa Pentecostal primary and secondary School.

“At Buliisa Pentecostal School, girls share one latrine with boys. The girls’ dormitory has no shutter and secondary school boys sleep in the primary pupils’ dormitory. And the school has only three teachers,” Kayabuzi explained.

Mubende primary schools whose boarding sections were closed are Kyenda C/U, Modern primary, Bright Future and Zabezi Nursery and primary.

In Mukono, eight schools were also closed, Joyce Othieno, the inspector, said.

Mpigi High school and Mpigi central primary school were given two weeks to license their boarding sections, or close, according to Husaifah Mutazidwa, an inspector.

The inspectors are also pitching camp in Luweero, Nakasongola, Nakaseke, Lyantonde and Kampala.

Fifty inspectors and officials from the health and works ministries were part of the exercise, which was completed yesterday.

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