Lawrence Kulumba from Boston High School in Entebbe states that many private school owners fear the government might misuse the data collected for taxation purposes.
Private school proprietors have expressed concerns about
registering learners on the Education Management Information System (EMIS) due
to fears of data misuse. Lawrence Kulumba from Boston High School in Entebbe
states that many private school owners fear the government might misuse
the data collected for taxation purposes. The information collected includes
details on learners, teachers, infrastructure, and non-teaching staff.
Teachers also raised concerns that since EMIS registration
requires data from parents, some parents refuse to provide information, leading
to low data uploads on the portal. Additionally, some schools operate without
registration by the Ministry of Education and Sports, further slowing the
uptake of EMIS. Vincent Ssozi, the Assistant Commissioner representing the
Commissioner for Planning at the Ministry of Education and Sports, acknowledged
the low response rate from private schools to EMIS.
Speaking at a workshop, he noted that the ministry organized
a sensitization engagement with private schools and their representative
institutions to formulate strategies to increase EMIS uptake and boost data
uploads. During the workshop, the ministry aimed to educate foundation bodies,
associations, and private school owners about the benefits of EMIS and
demonstrate how the portal functions.
Ssozi highlighted that the system could help private school
owners track learners who default on school fees and move to different
institutions. Advanced features of EMIS allow head teachers to flag learners
who default on fees, making it difficult for them to obtain UNEB results, thus
ensuring proper resource management.
//Cue in: “It is envisaged…
Cue out…the uptake of EMIS,”//
Minister of State for Primary Education Joyce Moriko
Kaduchu, addressing teachers and school proprietors at the ICT Hub in Nakawa,
mentioned a significant transformation within the Ministry of Education and
other government departments, shifting from paper to digital systems. She
emphasized the importance of sensitization across all government agencies on
the significance of embracing digital systems like EMIS.
Kaduchu highlighted that the Ministry of Education rolled
out EMIS in September of the previous year and stressed the collective responsibility
of education sector stakeholders to enhance EMIS implementation. The ministry
partnered with the Ministry of Information Technology to redevelop EMIS and
issued guidelines and reforms to local governments and teaching institutions.
The minister warned that the allocation of government
capitation grants to schools would depend on the effective use of EMIS, aiding
the government in better planning and resource allocation. She noted that 99
percent of government schools had uploaded learner data to EMIS as of May 2024.
However, only 30,519 out of 60,529 private schools (50 percent) had done so.
The minister appealed to private proprietors to adhere to
the liberal policy allowing private institutions to operate and to comply with
systems, policies, and guidelines set by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
