Recruitment of boarding school matrons:Who is in charge?
May 20, 2008
The deafening sound of a school bell hits my ears as I walk into a boarding primary school in Wakiso district. From a distance, pupils are enjoying their breakfast. In front of the boy’s dormitory, a middle-aged woman dutifully grooms the children in preparation for the day.
By Jamesa Wagwau
The deafening sound of a school bell hits my ears as I walk into a boarding primary school in Wakiso district. From a distance, pupils are enjoying their breakfast. In front of the boy’s dormitory, a middle-aged woman dutifully grooms the children in preparation for the day. This is the matron, who acts as a mother, taking care of children while they are in school.
The role of a school matron was thrust into the limelight recently when 20 pupils died in a dormitory fire at Budo Junior School. It was reported that the matron of Nasolo dormitory was away from the dormitory at the time of the incident.
Following this tragedy, concerns over the role of school matrons and recruitment procedures have emerged. Investigations carried out by Education Vision reveals that recruitment of school matrons has been left at the discretion of schools. The Ministry of Education has neither person specifications nor recruitment procedures for school matrons.
The acting head of the directorate of education standards, Moses Otyek, says setting qualifications for school matrons does not fall within the body’s scope.
“It is not the directorate that licenses primary schools. Our job is to check if the schools meet the standards set by the director of education,†Otyek explains.
According to Aggrey Kibenge, the education ministry’s spokesperson, recruitment of school matrons is not the responsibility of the ministry.
“Matrons are part of non-teaching staff and we do not recruit non-teaching staff. We, therefore, do not have the recruitment guidelines for such staff. They are recruited and paid directly by the respective schools,†he says.
Kibenge stresses that primary school education is a fully- decentralised service. As a result, the district service commission recruits all teaching staff. “Even the district does not recruit the matrons. In fact, our job at the ministry is to receive reports from the districts,†he adds.
Dr. Daniel Nkada, the commissioner in charge of pre-primary and primary education, confirms this.
“The school management committees in primary schools and the board of governors in secondary schools are responsible for the appointment of non-teaching staff, not the district,†says Nkada. He adds that there are no recruitment guidelines yet for the recruitment of non-teaching staff.
“The district service commission does not have documented guidelines for non-teaching staff like matrons. We are going to set standards of recruitment in collaboration with the Education Service Commission,†he says.
A document on recruitment of non-teaching staff for secondary schools and tertiary institutions, from the Education Service Commission, titled Person Specifications of Non-teaching Staff spells out qualifications for accounts assistant, stenographer, registered nurse, medical officer, copy typist, library assistant and enrolled nurse. Those of matrons are left out.
Sarah Mabangi, the Education Service Commission’s principal policy analyst, says the commission is compiling a scheme of service for non-teaching staff.
The lack of policy at the ministry level has left schools at liberty to set their own standards in recruiting school matrons. The qualifications vary according to the school, with some emphasising some level of education and others employing illiterate women.
Dr. John Muyingo, the head teacher of Uganda Martyrs Secondary School, Namugongo, says the school has well-defined qualifications for a school matron.
“We require a mature lady over 25 years with a minimum of an O’ level certificate, leadership skills, ability to communicate in English, and, above all mothering skills,†he says.
Muyingo explains that qualifications in teaching or nursing are not a requirement but an added advantage as they help matrons understand students better.
At St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Naggalama, the duties of a matron are carried out by senior ladies and wardens.
The school’s head teacher, Agnes Nsubuga, says the school resorted to this after realising that the students did not respect non-teaching matrons.
The qualities of an ideal matron seem to stretch beyond academic qualifications. According to Gertrude Mutanda, the headmistress of Highfield Primary School, Gayaza, mothering abilities, coupled with basic counselling skills is a must for a matron to excel at her job.
“She should be somebody whom all children feel comfortable to run to. This requires a love for children,†explains Mutanda
Annette Kirabira, a counselling psychologist at Makerere University, says the job of a matron needs a person willing to go the extra mile and rotates around passion for children.
“Children have numerous needs and sometimes they stretch adults beyond limits. A matron has to be firm, alert, and patient. She also needs communication ability and conflict- management skills,†says Kirabira.
These qualities can be summed up in the words of Otyek: “A matron must be a mature, experienced person who can guide the children.â€
Whatever the qualifications, it is clear that the post of matron is too significant to be left without a guiding policy on recruitment and roles.
The deafening sound of a school bell hits my ears as I walk into a boarding primary school in Wakiso district. From a distance, pupils are enjoying their breakfast. In front of the boy’s dormitory, a middle-aged woman dutifully grooms the children in preparation for the day. This is the matron, who acts as a mother, taking care of children while they are in school.
The role of a school matron was thrust into the limelight recently when 20 pupils died in a dormitory fire at Budo Junior School. It was reported that the matron of Nasolo dormitory was away from the dormitory at the time of the incident.
Following this tragedy, concerns over the role of school matrons and recruitment procedures have emerged. Investigations carried out by Education Vision reveals that recruitment of school matrons has been left at the discretion of schools. The Ministry of Education has neither person specifications nor recruitment procedures for school matrons.
The acting head of the directorate of education standards, Moses Otyek, says setting qualifications for school matrons does not fall within the body’s scope.
“It is not the directorate that licenses primary schools. Our job is to check if the schools meet the standards set by the director of education,†Otyek explains.
According to Aggrey Kibenge, the education ministry’s spokesperson, recruitment of school matrons is not the responsibility of the ministry.
“Matrons are part of non-teaching staff and we do not recruit non-teaching staff. We, therefore, do not have the recruitment guidelines for such staff. They are recruited and paid directly by the respective schools,†he says.
Kibenge stresses that primary school education is a fully- decentralised service. As a result, the district service commission recruits all teaching staff. “Even the district does not recruit the matrons. In fact, our job at the ministry is to receive reports from the districts,†he adds.
Dr. Daniel Nkada, the commissioner in charge of pre-primary and primary education, confirms this.
“The school management committees in primary schools and the board of governors in secondary schools are responsible for the appointment of non-teaching staff, not the district,†says Nkada. He adds that there are no recruitment guidelines yet for the recruitment of non-teaching staff.
“The district service commission does not have documented guidelines for non-teaching staff like matrons. We are going to set standards of recruitment in collaboration with the Education Service Commission,†he says.
A document on recruitment of non-teaching staff for secondary schools and tertiary institutions, from the Education Service Commission, titled Person Specifications of Non-teaching Staff spells out qualifications for accounts assistant, stenographer, registered nurse, medical officer, copy typist, library assistant and enrolled nurse. Those of matrons are left out.
Sarah Mabangi, the Education Service Commission’s principal policy analyst, says the commission is compiling a scheme of service for non-teaching staff.
The lack of policy at the ministry level has left schools at liberty to set their own standards in recruiting school matrons. The qualifications vary according to the school, with some emphasising some level of education and others employing illiterate women.
Dr. John Muyingo, the head teacher of Uganda Martyrs Secondary School, Namugongo, says the school has well-defined qualifications for a school matron.
“We require a mature lady over 25 years with a minimum of an O’ level certificate, leadership skills, ability to communicate in English, and, above all mothering skills,†he says.
Muyingo explains that qualifications in teaching or nursing are not a requirement but an added advantage as they help matrons understand students better.
At St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Naggalama, the duties of a matron are carried out by senior ladies and wardens.
The school’s head teacher, Agnes Nsubuga, says the school resorted to this after realising that the students did not respect non-teaching matrons.
The qualities of an ideal matron seem to stretch beyond academic qualifications. According to Gertrude Mutanda, the headmistress of Highfield Primary School, Gayaza, mothering abilities, coupled with basic counselling skills is a must for a matron to excel at her job.
“She should be somebody whom all children feel comfortable to run to. This requires a love for children,†explains Mutanda
Annette Kirabira, a counselling psychologist at Makerere University, says the job of a matron needs a person willing to go the extra mile and rotates around passion for children.
“Children have numerous needs and sometimes they stretch adults beyond limits. A matron has to be firm, alert, and patient. She also needs communication ability and conflict- management skills,†says Kirabira.
These qualities can be summed up in the words of Otyek: “A matron must be a mature, experienced person who can guide the children.â€
Whatever the qualifications, it is clear that the post of matron is too significant to be left without a guiding policy on recruitment and roles.