Buyende school sails on amidst storms
Nov 05, 2014
A weighing scale hangs in the entrance of the room. There are sacks of maize flour and old iron sheets in one corner. This is neither a village shop nor store.
By Andrew Masinde
trueA weighing scale hangs in the entrance of the room. There are sacks of maize flour and old iron sheets in one corner. This is neither a village shop nor store. It is the headmaster’s office at Kigweri Primary School, in Buyende district. The same room serves as a staffroom. Between the building that houses the headmaster and his staff and a two-room classroom block is a makeshift shade under which some classes are held.
Other pupils study under mango trees and the muvule tree by the dusty roadside. Since it’s funding is low, the school cannot afford to construct more classrooms. Parents started construction of more classrooms years ago, but the project stalled due to inadequate funding. Some of the pupils have no desks and lie on their tummies while scribbling their notes. Kigweri is a school of 672 pupils. It is located in eastern Uganda and has eight teachers; which is a ratio of one teacher for every 84 pupils instead of the 40 pupils prescribed by the Ministry of Education.
Money utilisation
The school receives about sh1.2m per term; which comes to sh3.6m annually instead of the sh4.7m if each pupil was being allocated the Government’s planned sh7,000 annually. To complicate matters, the headteacher, Michael Waiswa. says the funds are always delivered late.
By press time, Kigweri Primary School had not received its capitation grants for the current school term, which is already half-way through. “We are borrowing scholastic materials from some shops and schools in Kamuli town, hoping to pay back when the funds are released,” Waiswa explains. He says the school needs about sh1.6m a term to operate efficiently. “We are operating at the bare minimum. There is no way we can run this school smoothly with the amount of money they send us,” he adds. There is no chart pinned on the noticeboard at this school relaying the utilisation of funds; contrary to the requirement for every headteacher.
Accountability and budgeting for all Government monies should be openly displayed in a place accessible by the public. This is a standard requirement in every school. “I have all the details captured in my books,” argues Waiswa. True, the accountability of funds could be seen detailed in his black-books. But, that does not negate the fact that he faults the guidelines in this regard. Waiswa says the budgeting and expenditure of the monies sent to the school, is done with the advice and supervision of the school’s management committee (SMC) and parents and teachers’ association (PTA). “Whenever the funds are sent from Government, I organise a meeting with the PTA and SMC. We draw the budget together and in case the money is not enough, we call on the parents to support us,” he explains.
At the end of the term, Waiswa says he calls parents, and in a meeting, explains to them how the funds were spent during the course of the term.
true
Because of limited furniture, many of the pupils sit on the ground during lessons. Photos by Tom Gwebayanga
Stakeholders’ views
Teachers at the school agree that they are involved in the budgeting and expenditure process of the funds. However, they also agree that there is need to increase the amount of money sent to their school. William Mudumba, a teacher at the school, says they are operating on a low budget. “Our headteacher is honest. He tells us when the money has been released and calls some of us for the budgeting process.” Mudumba ,however, notes that the number of pupils keeps increasing in spite of all the challenges. “We at times handle subjects, in which we are not competent enough because we have inadequate staff members,” he explains.
Proscovia Kideni, a Primary Five pupil, says studying under a tree is difficult. “When it rains we cannot have lessons We request the Government to construct more classrooms for us,” she says. Hellen Mirembe, a parent, says the headteacher involves parents in the budgeting process. “At times I pity the headteacher. I see him struggling to allocate sh1m to all the scholastic requirements and operational costs, and it is always a real tag-of-war.” Mirembe says parents resolved to support the school, with additional funding. “Without the parents’ support, this school would probably close.” The SMC is not happy with the amount of money sent to the school.
They are convinced that the school is utilising the funds well, much as it may not meet all the requirements set in the UPE capitation guidelines. The SMC chairman, Robert Karuya, says they allowed the headteacher to always consult and draw the budget. “But he is required to present it to us for approval, before money is spent.” As much as parents are not supposed to pay fees, it is unavoidable in this school. “We had to devise means of staying afloat. We requested parents to pay fees and they accepted. Even when the funds are delivered late,, we always find a way of surviving,” Karuyo explains
true
OFFICIALS SPEAK OUT
Government officials, in charge of supervising the school, say the school has been utilising the funds well. Some of the local government officials also agree that indeed the funds, which are at times inadequate, are being released late and that this defeats the purpose of the funding.
According to the inspector of schools in Buyende district, David Galinemere, “ schools under the UPE programme in Buyende are facing a number of challenges, arising from inadequate funding. “Why should the Government repeatedly send the money late?” he asks. The district councillor and secretary for finance, Richard Kigozi, says he believes the headteacher’s complaints are genuine and adds that at times this school receives funds during the holidays, which is wrong.
Related Stories
2,000 pupils overwhelm Bupadengo
Sh7,000 per pupil is more than enough, say private schools