Students head home after government shut down schools due to Covid-19 mid-2021. PHOTO/XINHUA
|National
Prime
Gov't has no capacity to rescue private institutions
What you need to know:
- Shs1.06t Appeal. The Uganda Bankers Association has asked the government to establish a fund worth of $300m (Shs1.06 trillion) to enable private schools prepare for the reopening.
The government has said it is not able to finance private schools’ recovery from pandemic-induced shocks.
The revelation, which will come as a big blow to the proprietors of private schools, was revealed by the State minister for Primary Education, Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu. The minister and her team appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Education yesterday.
Mr Edward Sebukyu, the commissioner of private schools at the Education ministry, said they do not “have the capacity to rescue constrained private education institutions.”
He added: “It is, therefore, proposed that the recovery plan of private education institutions should take a multi-sectoral approach.”
Since President Museveni announced that the academic institutions will fully reopen in January next year, stakeholders in the education sector have periodically sought government support to facilitate their reopening.
Proprietors of private schools for one reasoned that the funds, once availed, will be committed to pay teachers, partly waive arrears, and also procure hand sanitisers.
The government, however, says all schools will be supported by having home study materials available to their learners.
Shadow Education minister Brenda Nabukenya (Luweero Woman) and Mr Joseph Ssewungu (Kalungu West) were quick to point out that interventions with study materials fell woefully short, with rural-based schools mostly left out.
“Don’t spend the Shs48b on study materials,” Mr Ssewungu advised, adding, “Put that money into private schools and reopening of schools. You go beyond that, we shall fight in the House then we shall end in court.”
The vice chairperson of the Education Committee, Mr Cuthbert Abigaba (Kibale), also supported the proposal to help private institutions.
He said: “If we are sure we are going to reopen schools in January and we are midway November, what is the relevance of procuring these home study materials? Isn’t it prudent that we could deploy this money elsewhere to the private sector?”
On October 20, the Uganda Bankers Association asked the government to establish a medium term recovery of $300m (Shs1.06 trillion) to enable private schools to adequately prepare for the reopening.
A week earlier, the proprietors of private schools had asked the government to set up a relief fund of at least Shs500b to enable them smoothly prepare for the reopening.
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