Govt bans boarding in new seed schools 

The Ministry of Education has rejected calls by school administrators and parents to establish   boarding sections at some of the newly commissioned seed secondary schools across the country.

According to Mr John Chrysostom Muyingo, the State Minister for Higher Education, boarding facilities are a burden to parents since they come with additional costs, which is against government’s policy of extending free education to learners from impoverished families.
“The cost and burden of maintaining the students in a boarding section will be shifted to the parents who are already struggling to raise money for other basic needs, including lunch and scholastic materials for the learners.  Therefore, this idea is not tenable,” Mr Muyingo said while commissioning  Katikamu Muslim Seed Secondary School in Luweero District on Wednesday.

He said the facilities at the newly commissioned seed secondary schools would accommodate day students and provide students and teachers with a good learning environment.
“You have already witnessed the fully equipped ICT and computer block and the school library. Government is supplying the textbooks,” Mr Muyingo added.
The district education officer, Ms Florence Bbosa, said the government set up guidelines for boarding schools, which must be fulfilled by any learning  institution that applies for the section.

“We have not commissioned any dormitories at the new seed schools. This means that anybody that tries to set up a boarding section meant for other purposes is against the set guidelines. We are now rallying parents who are yet to enroll children in schools to take advantage of the facilities,” she said .
Mr Abdul Ssembajwe, a retired educationist, advised parents not put their children in boarding out of pressure from school administrators.
 
“I have witnessed circumstances where some parents only afford school fees for a term and fail to meet the boarding fees for the rest of the year. They are convinced by school authorities, but they are later abandoned. Only parents that are ready for boarding sections should have children enrolled as borders at schools that have the facilities,” he said.

While commissioning St Andrews Seed Secondary School in Mukono District on Monday, Mr Muyingo directed the authorities to close the boarding section, saying the facility is not catered for and is  an extra burden to the parents. 
“The seed schools should benefit the host communities by way of affordability,” he said.
Newly commissioned seed schools

A total of 70 new seed secondary schools have so far been constructed and at least 25 commissioned in various sub counties across the country.
Using  funding from the World Bank, government had planned to construct 117 seed schools in the first phase, however, some sub-counties reportedly failed to secure five acres of land that were required for construction.In the second phase, government plans to construct 115 schools and 27 in the third phase. Unlike some schools under universal secondary scheme, the new  seed schools have fully been equipped  with libraries and science  and ICT laboratories, ICT laboratories, staff houses, and modern toilets, among other facilities.