12 private schools thrown out of Upolet

The government has decided to kick 12 private secondary schools out of the Universal Post-O’Level Education and Training Programme( Upolet) programme over failure to meet the set guidelines.

According to Mr Ismail Mulindwa ,the assistant commissioner private schools in-charge of policy and regulation, the institutions failed to measure up to the required standards and were unable to conduct A-Level classes.
“Some school heads thought that it was automatic to qualify for Upolet since they are already under USE , forgetting that guidelines for both programmes differ,” he said in an interview yesterday.

He said some schools lacked enough infrastructure and teachers while others failed to get students to enroll for the programme. However, Mr Mulindwa declined to name the affected schools, saying it would damage their reputation since they have been doing well under the USE programme.

The Upolet scheme was rolled out early this year to enable eligible Ordinary level graduates enroll in tuition-free secondary and vocational training institutions.
Government pays Shs80,000 per student under Upolet in government-aided schools per term while Shs85,000 is allocated to each learner in private schools implementing the programme.

Those in BTVET institutions, government spends Shs414, 000 on each of them per term.
Of about 160, 000 students currently enrolled in Senior Five, 41,503 are under the Upolet scheme, according to figures from the education ministry.

assenkabirwa@ug.nationmedia.com