Donors press for more teachers
Nov 09, 2003
DONORS have rejected Government pleas to lower the pupil to teacher ratio and insisted that at least 132,000 primary school teachers be on the payroll by July next year.
By John Eremu
DONORS have rejected Government pleas to lower the pupil to teacher ratio and insisted that at least 132,000 primary school teachers be on the payroll by July next year.
The donors, at the just concluded 10th Education Sector Review in Kampala, hailed the Government for meeting most of the targets agreed early this year.
They, however, expressed concern at the worsening pupil to teacher ratio.
The donors described as lack of seriousness, the ministry’s suggestion that the number of primary school teachers to access the payroll by July 2004 be retained at 124,337 although 132,150 had been budgeted for.
This would lower the pupil to teacher ratio to 59:1 as opposed to the targeted 55:1.
The donors said it would be very difficult to convince development partners to release funds when the teacher to pupil ratio was worsening.
“We are talking about quality and anybody who looks at that ratio will think we are not serious. This is something that will reflect badly on us,†said Harriet Nanyonjo of the World Bank.
In the Aide Memoir adopted, the Government agreed to maintain education funding at 31% of the recurrent discretionary expenditure with 65% of the sector’s budget going to the primary sub-sector.
Ends
DONORS have rejected Government pleas to lower the pupil to teacher ratio and insisted that at least 132,000 primary school teachers be on the payroll by July next year.
The donors, at the just concluded 10th Education Sector Review in Kampala, hailed the Government for meeting most of the targets agreed early this year.
They, however, expressed concern at the worsening pupil to teacher ratio.
The donors described as lack of seriousness, the ministry’s suggestion that the number of primary school teachers to access the payroll by July 2004 be retained at 124,337 although 132,150 had been budgeted for.
This would lower the pupil to teacher ratio to 59:1 as opposed to the targeted 55:1.
The donors said it would be very difficult to convince development partners to release funds when the teacher to pupil ratio was worsening.
“We are talking about quality and anybody who looks at that ratio will think we are not serious. This is something that will reflect badly on us,†said Harriet Nanyonjo of the World Bank.
In the Aide Memoir adopted, the Government agreed to maintain education funding at 31% of the recurrent discretionary expenditure with 65% of the sector’s budget going to the primary sub-sector.
Ends