Ministry should enforce schools inspection policy

What you need to know:

The issue: Discipline in private institutions.

Our view: The inspection function by the Education ministry could be failing, leading to a situation as experienced by the student of Namirembe Hillside High School which now calls for litigation, and all this comes with cost to both the schools and parents.

A female student of Namirembe Hillside High School in Wakiso District has sued the school seeking Shs100m in compensation for rape that robbed her of her virginity. The student is perturbed by the conduct of the head teacher and school administration for failing to subject her case to a prompt and appropriate scrutiny by forwarding it for investigation.

She faults the school administration of negligence, discrimination and breach of duty the school owed her. The case of this female student is just a tip of the iceberg. There are deeper underlying problems manifested in schools, especially in private institutions, relating to how school administrators are conducting themselves morally and thereafter sweeping undesired issues under the carpet to protect their own and their profit motive.

The case of the student is one of such scandals that bedevil some schools but administrators, with impunity, take sides, not with the victim but with the tormenter. There have been cases of learners being impregnated by teachers in schools and school heads looking the other side or abetting it by way of facilitating abortions, or trying to conceal the vice by presenting excuses and explaining away the issues.

Sometimes, they have compelled the parents of the victims into arbitration when they realise the parents are impoverished. This is a grim case of broken down system, where, not only is the moral fabric in society torn, but that such incidents and crimes happen and culprits go scot free while the victims wallow in physical and emotional pain.

This disadvantages especially the female learners, since they are most affected. At the backdrop of this omission and commission, ministry of Education has a Private Schools and Institutions department charged with the overall coordination, regulation, policy formulation and guidance on all matters regarding these private schools and institutions.
The body is specifically vested with the powers to address issues and concerns in private schools. Their function, among others, includes addressing issues of discipline of staff and students in private schools.

The inspection function by the Education ministry is being conducted by Education Standards Agency (ESA) which is responsible for carrying out inspection to ensure compliance of policy and discipline in the institutions.
This is the area where ESA and the Private Schools and Institutions department could be failing leading to a situation as experienced by the student which now calls for litigation, and all this comes with cost to both the schools and parents.