Schools to be shut down over poor infrastructure

Warning. Schools that do not meet the minimum infrastructural requirements are going to be closed.

The Directorate of Education Standards (DES) has warned schools against opening for first term unless they meet the body’s standards.
The principal education inspector of secondary education, Ms Frances Atima, yesterday said all schools should have infrastructure like furniture, classrooms, and toilets.
For boarding institutions, they must have at least double decker beds, a matron aged above 30 years, occupational permit from the district, and the dormitory should be with fire extinguishers and fenced.
“We expect all districts to have started acting. If a school does not have permission, do not operate,” Ms Atima said.
Acting on the DES directive, Kampala Capital City Authority on February 1 closed Nakivubo Secondary School and Nakivubo Nursery School, over failure to comply with the standards.
According to Peter Kaujju, KCCA’s head of public and corporate affairs, the schools lacked facilities and he also warned that as the term opened today, they would continue with inspection of schools and institutions in the city to ensure compliance.
“The schools did not have a license from KCCA which is granted after inspection to ensure compliance with minimum standards like adequate and appropriate facilities ranging from classrooms, toilets, equipment and materials,” Mr Kaujju told the Daily Monitor.
This was the same in Bugiri District where 35 nursery, primary and secondary schools were last month closed following an inspection which indicated that they lacked permanent structures, qualified teachers and had poor sanitation.

Teachers warned
Mr Robinson Nsumba-Lyazi, assistant private schools commissioner last week said he asked school administrators to be on alert not to allow students with “coils, match boxes and sauce pans” within the school premises.
Mr Nsumba-Lyazi warned head teachers, who had come for senior one selection last week, against absenteeism saying a new technology was going to track their attendance, beginning this term.
Mr Joseph Eilor, the assistant commissioner for education planning, said the new technology, the District Education Management Information System programme, is expected to instantly link critical school data, such as teacher and student attendance, directly from schools into the National Education Management Information System at the Ministry of Education headquarters.

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