3,000 teachers fail to graduate

Institutions training Grade V teachers have plunged into debts of billions of shillings and failed to meet costs for Kyambogo University to graduate more than 3,000 of their graduands now facing an uncertain future.

Previously the Institute of Teacher Education Kyambo or ITEK, Kyambogo that transformed into a fully-fledged university in 2003 still awards the qualifications for academic programmes run by National Teachers’ Colleges (NTCs) across the country. 

Before it became a university, Kyambogo was also home to a polytechnic and the Uganda National Institute of Special Education (Unise), offering it distinguished expertise in educational training in the country.  

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This publication can reveal that a standoff between Kyambogo University and NTCs over arrears that, according to Vice Chancellor Prof Eli Katunguka gross Shs1.2b, has stalled graduation of former students in at least two successive cohorts.

Principals of the affected institutions yesterday confirmed the handicaps, arguing that they were forced to divert payments that students made for examinations, convocation and transcripts for to meet operational expenses.

They told Monitor in interviews that the Shs1,800 that the government gives in capitation grants for each trainee teacher’s daily upkeep is “too meagre” and its disbursement irregular.

Ms Evelyn Grace Lanyero, the principal of Kaliro NTC in eastern Uganda, said 866 of their students in 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 intakes had been affected.

“It is really tough for our students out there,” she said, disclosing that they owe Kyambogo University Shs380m.

Our investigations show that each trainee teacher student pays Shs470,000 to their training college over two years for examinations, convocation and academic transcripts.

However, as Kaliro NTC’s Lanyero admitted, institutions diverted the money to offset “critical” bills of food, utility, stationery and salary of staff not on the government payroll.

“The capitation grant [from government] is not enough, and we normally get it late,” the principal said in trying to explain away a fund diversion that has left would-graduates in limbo.

Without their diploma certificate at hand, most are unable to secure jobs they are otherwise qualified for and neither can they advance their studies.

“I went to about five schools and I was being bounced because I did not have qualifications (transcripts). My humble request to the colleges is to give us a chance and we graduate so that we can get jobs,” said Fortunate Akankwasa who completed studies at NTC Kabale and is yet to graduate. 

By stroke of luck, she secured a job at Technical Institute in Mbarara, but remains unsure for how long she will hold it.

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For in-service teachers who went to upgrade, employers have spurned their push for higher pay on grounds that they have no evidence of corresponding qualification. 

Kabale NTC’s former Speaker Moses Karagwe said he took up an employment for survival but, at Shs200,000 per month, he was being underpaid for ostensibly lacking requisite qualifications. 

“We are not okay.  We even don’t know the way forward,” he said, revealing that nothing had come out of their petition of the Inspectorate of Government.

NTC Kabale Deputy Principal Friday Rwamahe said “we owe Kyambogo (University) money for two academic years, but we are optimistic that they (former students) will graduate and receive documents once we clear [the arrears]”.

Mr Pario Ewaku, the principal of Unyama NTC, said that they owe Kyambogo University Shs576m accumulated since 2016 and, as a result, some 500 students who sat final exams in 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years have not graduated. 

“[The money] accumulated as a result of underfunding and that is why government has taken over the debt. We used it to run the college activities. Feeding students is something you can’t compromise,” he added.

NTC Mubende on the other hand, according to its principal Francis Kateregga, is contesting Shs600m billing by Kyambogo University dating back to 2009.

A total of 717 graduates who completed studies at the institution are yet to graduate.

“The good thing is that government has accepted to help us get out of the problem,” he said, “We don’t have any money and if the Ministry of Education had not come in, we were going to be in dilemma.”

There is no written commitment by the government, Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor Katunguka said, suggesting the problem is far from over.

He said NTCs owe them in excess of Shs1.2b and they can only permit affected alumni of the NTCs to graduate if the government signs up to pick the outstanding bills.

“The colleges collected this money from students and they were supposed to remit to the university, but they did not.  We have been discussing with the Ministry of Education to see how it can take over the debt...,” he said, adding, “If they (government) put that in writing, then we can graduate the students but they have not.”

We were unable to speak to the ministry of Education, the parent ministry and sector regulator, and Finance officials who hold the key to the Treasury. 

Ms Annet Komunda is the principal of NTC Kabale and she said more than 1,000 of their former students who were to graduate in 2019 and 2020 had not graduated due to their failure to clear Shs300m dues to Kyambogo University.

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Students were expected to raise Shs70m of the arrears, she said, and asked the government to increase the Shs1,800 it allocates in capitation grant to cater for each trainee teacher per day.

Muni NTC Principal, Ms Daisy Aliwaru, who doubles as the chairperson of the NTC Principals’ Forum, declined to comment for this article.

The cash crisis at the educational training institutions have caught the eyes of Uganda development partners, with Mr Tom Vanneste, the resident representative of Enable, the federal Belgian government’s development agency, on Friday asking stakeholders to resolve the impasse.

“We request the parties concerned to ensure students graduate and receive their certificate and transcripts,” he said at a July 21 function in Kabale where he also tasked the government to increase the capitation allocation for training educationists.

At the event, State Industry minister, Mr David Bahati, who represented Education Minister Janet Kataha Museveni, promised government intervention to resolve the problem and fast-track the delayed graduation of the last batch of Grade 5 teachers.

“The Ministry of Education and Sports is working with the Ministry of Finance and Kyambogo University to ensure that the last cohort of NTC graduates receive their academic documents as soon as possible,” he said on behalf of line minister Kataha.