Government explains delay of teachers COVID-19 money

COVID-19 | SCHOOLS | TEACHERS |

Private schools' teachers have not received the sh20bn relief money as promised by Government since they were not properly organised under-saving schemes and that Micro-Finance Support Centre (MSC) also had no capacity to distribute the money.

In a statement from the ministry on Thursday, the permanent secretary of the education ministry Alex Kakooza explains that there were two main concerns by sections of the teachers and the Ministry of Education and Sports.

"Most of the private schools' teachers are not organized under Savings and Credit Cooperatives through which they could access the funds from MSC and Micro-Finance Support Centre would not be able to identify the genuine private school teachers and may not have an effective mechanism to disburse the grant to these teachers."

He explains that President Yoweri Museveni, who had ordered for the release of funds, "Eventually guided that the money should be removed from the Emyooga programme in MSC and given to teachers to manage it through their structures."

Initially, the fund was provided as part of the Emyooga programme through the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC).

"Following this guidance, the Ministry of Education and Sports engaged the seven organizations that came forward as representing teachers in private schools. It was agreed that the grant should be managed as a resolving fund by a competent fund manager sourced through the standing Government procurement regulations," Kakooza explains.

Kakooza added, "A due diligence exercise has been conducted on prospective fund managers and the procurement process is now underway."

"It was also established that the seven organizations did not have the membership or national reach to represent the majority of teachers in private schools across the country. They also did not have structures at the grassroots level through which the teachers could access the funds. Consequently, it was resolved that the Ministry of Education and Sports, would immediately embark on organizing teachers in private schools so that there is a representative structure, from school level through district and up to national level, through which the teachers can access the fund among other things," he adds.

"This process will be completed by end of the year. It is envisaged that such a structure will eventually lead to the establishment of a national apex SACCO for teachers in private schools to take over the management of the revolving fund in the near future."

"This is, therefore, to allay the concerns of the teachers as well as the general public and reassure everyone that the delay in operationalising the fund has been occasioned by the need to ensure that a fair and sustainable mechanism is put in place," explained Kakooza.

"District Education Officers are called upon to support the ongoing process of establishing school and district associations of private schools' teachers as guided by the circular issued by the Ministry of Education and Sports," he added.