53 Schools Barred from Opening Over Lack of Requirements

53 privately owned primary schools in Kanungu district have not opened for the first term due to lack of necessary requirement. It follows a directive from Walter Iriama, the Kanungu Chief Administrative Officer to the schools not open because they don’t meet the minimum standards set by Ministry of Education. Some of the affected schools are Blue Hope Primary school, Cornerstone school, Kinaaba Progressive School, Nkunda Vision, King David –Katojo among others. Some of the schools lack qualified teachers, toilets, classrooms and furniture while others are located in a none conducive learning environment. According to a January 31 letter signed by the CAO, most of the affected schools were opened last year.

Iriama says they will not allow the schools to operate until they meet the minimum operational standards.  The closure of the schools has affected more then 1000 pupils. Harriet Tusiime, a parent who had two pupils at King David Primary school faults the authorities for closing the school. She says that the district should have given the administration sometime to put in place the necessary requirements. Gerald Tugume is the proprietor of St. John Primary school Nyamwegabira, one of the affected schools. He says that he was shocked when the authorities closed his school, which started operating last year. Tugume says that he was told that the temporary classrooms were not good for pupils and some of his teachers were not qualified.

 

He however, says that since his school was just starting he couldn't afford putting in place everything because he survives on contributions from parents. Tugume says that they should have been given sometime to reorganize themselves. Moses Mujurizi, a parent at St. Johns Primary school Nyamwegabira says that the closure of the school caught them unawares. Mujurizi says that he now has to look for vacancy in another school for his son, yet he had already paid fees at St. Johns Primary school.  Goddie Willy Bakiga, the Kanungu District Education Officer dimisses claims that the schools were not given ample time to put in place the necessary requirements.

 He explains that before the close of third term, the schools were asked to put in place the necessary facilities but many of them ignored the directive. Bakiga says that much as they can’t stop people from opening schools, they should endeavour to meet the minimum requirements set by the ministry.