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allAfrica.com: Uganda: The Challenges of Running a USE School (Page 1 of 2)
AS term one closes, The Education Vision sampled several schools under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) on how they fared three month into the operation of the programme.
The survey revealed that the schools faced daunting challenges of inadequate funding, limited classroom space while teachers were overwhelmed by the huge classes following positive response to the programme.
The headteachers interviewed said the promised capitation grant of sh29,420 per student under the programme never materialised. No additional teachers were also posted to the schools nor more textbooks provided.
Matthew Obol Ottober, the headteacher of Awere S.S in Gulu district, said: "The only money we have received from the Government is the block grant of sh5m."
This was echoed by P.C. Ojok and Florence Olango Oyella, the headteachers of Lukome SS and Gulu S.S respectively. Ojok said the delay to send the sh29,420 per child had affected the quality of work in the school, because they could not procure necessary materials.
"I hope they will send the money on time next term," he said. The views of Teddy Akorimo, the headteacher of Wakiso School for the Deaf, are intriguing. "USE is a big blessing for the deaf particularly, because most of them are from poor backgrounds," she said.
"And because it is the first secondary school for the deaf in the country, we are getting pupils who completed primary school from as far back as 1994, and want to enroll on the programme whose eligibility is restricted to those who completed in 2006."
Akorimo says she would be willing to take them on, but the facilities at the school cannot allow her to.
Many headteachers complained that the USE children were benefiting from the money paid by private students.
"Students under USE are parasites because they are feeding, being taught, sheltered and given scholastic materials at the expense of paying students in upper classes," said a headteacher who preferred anonymity.
Yet despite these sentiments, the parents have to contribute to their children's feeding and in a few instances, construction of structures.
At Mukono High School, the administration and parents are building a classroom block to accommodate USE students.
"Space is our biggest problem. That is why we took on 223 instead of the 420 students the Government had given us," the headteacher, Anne Kibudde, explained.
In a pre-USE consultative meeting the school had with the parents, they agreed to make lunch payment of sh25,000 compulsory so as to boost the academic competence of the students.
And Kibudde says: "The sh7m grant we received has enabled us to purchase more science equipment and textbooks, which we hope will raise the school's standard."
Another predominant problem among the schools is the large numbers of students on the programme. This puts a strain on the available space and the teachers.
Ottober said the numbers in the classrooms are overwhelming and there is need for the Government to provide money for infrastructure development and post more teachers to handle the USE students.
"At the moment, out of 31 teachers, only nine are on the payroll. The rest are paid by the parents," Ottober lamented.
A teacher at Awere SS, Vincent Lawil, said: "The USE classes are too big. Some classes have up to 90 students." "They speak to teachers in Luo and I wonder what has been happening in the primary schools.
I do not know how we shall reverse this trend." Aggrey Memorial S.S's assistant bursar, David Wasswa, said if the Government is to sustain the programme, it has to increase the teachers' salaries. "It also has to cater for support staff like bursars, secretaries and nurses, because their numbers will definitely be increased to cater for USE pupils."
Some schools claim that many parents are pessimistic. "They say that given their experience with UPE, they would not want their children to go to other Bonna Basome schools," says Eunice Gumisiriza, the deputy headteacher of Wampewo Ntake S.S in Wakiso district.
"Parents ask questions like: how will you teach practicals given that the amount of money from government is little aren't you just going to 'kill' our children's education?" At Kangai S.S in Dokolo district, the headteacher, Mike Anam, expressed disappointment with the district's failure to provide safe water for the school.
He said the school, with 800 students, has the lowest water coverage in the district. "Students share two shallow wells with the community.
Children go to the well and by the time they return, it is too late to attend classes.
How can we compete with schools that have good water coverage?" Anam asked. Kangai is a government-run school. Moses Mugabi, the head of Equator College School in Mukono, however, said the biggest problem is with science equipment.
"A school is not easy to run. We incur a lot of expenses in educating the 198 students on the programme," he said. He is not happy with the Government policy of extending science equipment to only government-aided schools.
Under the USE programme, private schools also serve the same purpose in implementing the scheme. He, however, said not all is lost. He said the scheme had created confidence and love for the school from the community.
"The people of Lugazi are proud of us because we have shown love for the country by accepting to give the Government a hand in promoting literacy levels," he boasted.
The headteacher of Mbalala High School, Syda Namusoke, is worried about the exorbitant taxes levied by both the Uganda Revenue Authority and the local government.
"The taxes are too much for us. If the Government wants its goal of promoting education for all to be achieved, these taxes on private schools should be slashed," she suggested.
However, Aggrey Kibenge, the education ministry spokesperson, explained that the complaint about money was misplaced. "We promised two types of funding.
There was the threshold grant of sh5m, which we have already disbursed to all schools and the sh29,420 per child, which is the variable grant. This is dependent on establishing the numbers in each school.
We have concluded the head count exercise, and I believe the money has been processed.
There is no way schools would expect to get that money before the results of the head count were out," he said.
On science equipment, Kibenge said while government schools get fixed and conditional grants, private ones get bursaries of sh47,000, which they can spend on whatever they want.
He also explained that secondment of teachers was phased out. However, private schools were free to recruit teachers from the open market, whom the Government has trained.
"If we have failed to fill the vacancies in government schools, how can we send teachers to private schools?" Kibenge wondered.
He also said they had a challenge of teachers refusing to report to schools they were posted to.
AS term one closes, The Education Vision sampled several schools under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) on how they fared three month into the operation of the programme.
The survey revealed that the schools faced daunting challenges of inadequate funding, limited classroom space while teachers were overwhelmed by the huge classes following positive response to the programme.
The headteachers interviewed said the promised capitation grant of sh29,420 per student under the programme never materialised. No additional teachers were also posted to the schools nor more textbooks provided.
Matthew Obol Ottober, the headteacher of Awere S.S in Gulu district, said: "The only money we have received from the Government is the block grant of sh5m."
This was echoed by P.C. Ojok and Florence Olango Oyella, the headteachers of Lukome SS and Gulu S.S respectively. Ojok said the delay to send the sh29,420 per child had affected the quality of work in the school, because they could not procure necessary materials.
"I hope they will send the money on time next term," he said. The views of Teddy Akorimo, the headteacher of Wakiso School for the Deaf, are intriguing. "USE is a big blessing for the deaf particularly, because most of them are from poor backgrounds," she said.
"And because it is the first secondary school for the deaf in the country, we are getting pupils who completed primary school from as far back as 1994, and want to enroll on the programme whose eligibility is restricted to those who completed in 2006."
Akorimo says she would be willing to take them on, but the facilities at the school cannot allow her to.
Many headteachers complained that the USE children were benefiting from the money paid by private students.
"Students under USE are parasites because they are feeding, being taught, sheltered and given scholastic materials at the expense of paying students in upper classes," said a headteacher who preferred anonymity.
Yet despite these sentiments, the parents have to contribute to their children's feeding and in a few instances, construction of structures.
At Mukono High School, the administration and parents are building a classroom block to accommodate USE students.
"Space is our biggest problem. That is why we took on 223 instead of the 420 students the Government had given us," the headteacher, Anne Kibudde, explained.
In a pre-USE consultative meeting the school had with the parents, they agreed to make lunch payment of sh25,000 compulsory so as to boost the academic competence of the students.
And Kibudde says: "The sh7m grant we received has enabled us to purchase more science equipment and textbooks, which we hope will raise the school's standard."
Another predominant problem among the schools is the large numbers of students on the programme. This puts a strain on the available space and the teachers.
Ottober said the numbers in the classrooms are overwhelming and there is need for the Government to provide money for infrastructure development and post more teachers to handle the USE students.
"At the moment, out of 31 teachers, only nine are on the payroll. The rest are paid by the parents," Ottober lamented.
A teacher at Awere SS, Vincent Lawil, said: "The USE classes are too big. Some classes have up to 90 students." "They speak to teachers in Luo and I wonder what has been happening in the primary schools.
I do not know how we shall reverse this trend." Aggrey Memorial S.S's assistant bursar, David Wasswa, said if the Government is to sustain the programme, it has to increase the teachers' salaries. "It also has to cater for support staff like bursars, secretaries and nurses, because their numbers will definitely be increased to cater for USE pupils."
Some schools claim that many parents are pessimistic. "They say that given their experience with UPE, they would not want their children to go to other Bonna Basome schools," says Eunice Gumisiriza, the deputy headteacher of Wampewo Ntake S.S in Wakiso district.
"Parents ask questions like: how will you teach practicals given that the amount of money from government is little aren't you just going to 'kill' our children's education?" At Kangai S.S in Dokolo district, the headteacher, Mike Anam, expressed disappointment with the district's failure to provide safe water for the school.
He said the school, with 800 students, has the lowest water coverage in the district. "Students share two shallow wells with the community.
Children go to the well and by the time they return, it is too late to attend classes.
How can we compete with schools that have good water coverage?" Anam asked. Kangai is a government-run school. Moses Mugabi, the head of Equator College School in Mukono, however, said the biggest problem is with science equipment.
"A school is not easy to run. We incur a lot of expenses in educating the 198 students on the programme," he said. He is not happy with the Government policy of extending science equipment to only government-aided schools.
Under the USE programme, private schools also serve the same purpose in implementing the scheme. He, however, said not all is lost. He said the scheme had created confidence and love for the school from the community.
"The people of Lugazi are proud of us because we have shown love for the country by accepting to give the Government a hand in promoting literacy levels," he boasted.
The headteacher of Mbalala High School, Syda Namusoke, is worried about the exorbitant taxes levied by both the Uganda Revenue Authority and the local government.
"The taxes are too much for us. If the Government wants its goal of promoting education for all to be achieved, these taxes on private schools should be slashed," she suggested.
However, Aggrey Kibenge, the education ministry spokesperson, explained that the complaint about money was misplaced. "We promised two types of funding.
There was the threshold grant of sh5m, which we have already disbursed to all schools and the sh29,420 per child, which is the variable grant. This is dependent on establishing the numbers in each school.
We have concluded the head count exercise, and I believe the money has been processed.
There is no way schools would expect to get that money before the results of the head count were out," he said.
On science equipment, Kibenge said while government schools get fixed and conditional grants, private ones get bursaries of sh47,000, which they can spend on whatever they want.
He also explained that secondment of teachers was phased out. However, private schools were free to recruit teachers from the open market, whom the Government has trained.
"If we have failed to fill the vacancies in government schools, how can we send teachers to private schools?" Kibenge wondered.
He also said they had a challenge of teachers refusing to report to schools they were posted to.