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Mixed response over govt directive on owning schools
First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni arrives for the private education policy dialogue for proprietors and owners of private schools in Kampala last year. PHOTO/ ISAAC KASAMANI
What you need to know:
- A government proposal to prevent civil servants from running private schools and health facilities has sparked mixed reactions, with some supporting it to address conflicts of interest, while others argue it could hinder access to quality education.
A government proposal to bar civil servants in active service from running private schools and health facilities effective July, has sparked mixed reactions.
While some educationalists support the move, others argue it could negatively impact access to quality education.
Mr Vincent Elong, the chairperson of Uganda Professional Science Teachers Union (UPTSU), criticised the proposal, saying individuals investing in schools are supporting government’s effort to increase access to quality education countrywide.
“We acknowledge that the responsibility of educating a nation is solely in the hands of the government. But of course, the government is playing double standards. First of all, they are not putting in enough in the education of the citizens. Look at the purely government-sponsored schools, you will find a lot of gaps in terms of infrastructure and staffing, ”Mr Elong said, adding, “You find a government school that is supposed to have 40 teachers, having only 15.”
He added that while some private schools have shortcomings, most strive to provide quality education by investing in infrastructure and hiring adequate teachers, often filling gaps left by the government in underserved areas.
However, a renowned educationist, Mr Fagil Mandy, said the move would tackle conflict of interest, which compromises service delivery.
“You find a head teacher of a government school or a minister owning many schools, so where does the limit come from? The idea is good but I must also add that schools must be supervised very well,” Mr Mandy advised.
Others say
Mr Patrick Kaboyo, the Executive Director for the Coalition of Uganda Private Schools Teachers Association (COUPSTA), dismissed the proposal as impractical.
“I think it is not very practical because such a very huge pronouncement should have come after a thorough study with clear findings and giving the immediate short-term and longterm ramifications for such a decision because it can injure service delivery channels,”Mr Kaboyo noted.
He emphasised that private schools complement government efforts, bridging gaps in service provision.
“There is a belief in science, that bees look for flowers to get nectar. If there is no nectar on the flowers, bees cannot visit the flowers. So people go to private schools because they perceive services there to be better. So the government then has to work on infrastructure. There are both hardware and software issues of the policies that should be worked on first,” he said.
According to Mr Robert Okudi, the commissioner for Education Planning at the Ministry of Education and Sports, the government aims to establish a public primary school in every parish and a secondary school in every sub-county.
“We have achieved, generally, most of it. More than 60 percent of the parishes have got a primary school, then we provide opportunities for the private sector also to provide education. So for those who cannot afford to go to the private sector, they can always come to free primary education,”Mr Okidi said at the sidelines of the Human Capital Development review meeting in Kampala last week.
“It’s understandable that because of limited resources, the classes in our Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools are congested, but it’s a work in progress. We are aiming to ensure that every parish has a primary school. We also provide Universal Secondary Education (USE). Our commitment is that every sub-county should have at least a secondary school. The main problem has been that the sub-counties are multiplying more than we can afford to provide the service,”Mr Okidi stated.
He revealed that currently, about 70 percent of sub-counties have a government secondary school.
Uganda continues to trigger debates in the country.
Some people have urged the government to rein in private schools, many owned by civil servants, that charge parents exorbitant fees. They advocate for a policy that bars education officials from managing educational institutions to check conflict of interest.
Mr Filbert Baguma, the general Secretary of Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu) said: “The policy should affect all stakeholders directly involved in education, including politicians. But also it should extend to all sectors of government.”
CONCERN
There has been public outcry that some civil servants are operating private businesses, spending most of the time running personal business, which affects service delivery in government institutions.
Last year, President Museveni directed the Ministry of Public Service to explore ways of disciplining doctors on government payroll who also run private health facilities.
In 2023, Members of Parliament from the Acholi sub-region proposed a policy barring Ministry of Education officials from actively managing private schools while serving in government.
