Why Education PS is not in office

KAMPALA- The new permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Dr Rose Nassali-Lukwago, has failed to report to work, a month after she was appointed.

Questions to do with her suitability for the job have been raised, forcing the Public Service Commission to demand an interview with her first.

These questions were reinforced by the fact that Dr Nassali-Lukwago once worked as the boss of Education Standards Agency (ESA) under the same ministry but she was interdicted and later demoted over alleged “condoning of crime and concealment of information from senior management, negligence of duty and insubordination”.

President Museveni last month reshuffled his Cabinet, army command and permanent secretaries in a move that saw Education ministry’s long-serving PS Francis Xavier Lubanga taken to Health Service Commission and Dr Nassali-Lukwago posted to Education ministry.

Her delay to report has triggered off whispers about a possible growth of factions in the ministry as her troubles are linked to her drawn-out fight with Mr Lubanga.

Ministry activities affected
Apparently, without a substantive PS, activities in the ministry had slowed down but the Education Minister Jessica Alupo has allayed the fears. “The Ministry of Finance gave powers to under secretary Doreen Katusiime to act as permanent secretary. She is handling all financial matters, so work is going on,” Ms Alupo said.

Asked why Dr Nassali-Lukwago had not reported to work yet the posting was with immediate effect, Ms Alupo said she had phoned her new PS over the matter but she said she had not received instruments of power.

Dr Nassali-Lukwago confirmed this to the Sunday Monitor, saying: “I have not reported because I have not yet received instrument of appointment; one cannot hold office without that instrument.”
Her predecessor handed over office a day after the changes were announced. Our sources say Mr Lubanga handed over office immediately because he was desirous to leave the ministry over what he saw as a prolonged fight against him. Soon after handing over office, Mr Lubanga left for India “for medical treatment and general body check-up,” according to Ms Alupo.

Our sources in the ministry say the general feeling is that the appointment of Dr Nassali-Lukwago was a slap in Mr Lubanga’s face, especially having earlier disciplined her in the same ministry where she also sat on the contracts committee.

Insiders at the ministry trace the alleged bad blood between Mr Lubanga and Ms Nassali to the latter’s alleged refusal to recognise Mr Lubanga as her supervisor after she was appointed and instead opted to report directly to the minister.

Sources say the two locked horns after Dr Nassali-Lukwago reportedly declined to implement Mr Lubanga’s directives on how to handle two projects: National Inspection Initiative (NII), which was designed to diagnose whether teaching and learning processes in the schools were effective and Measuring Learning Achievements (MLA), which was supposed to develop methods and mechanisms for gauging the effectiveness of teaching and learning.

Her “insubordination” was linked to her alleged contact with the First Lady Janet Museveni for whom she reportedly worked as a personal tutor when Ms Museveni pursued her bachelor’s degree at Makerere but Dr Nassali-Lukwago denied the allegations.
“I don’t remember her in my class; I don’t remember teaching her,” she said.

“Not only was I Interdicted but I was demoted in rank and pay. But I petitioned the President. They set up a committee of inquiry and they invited me to appear before it, however, the Education Service Commission never gave me feedback,” said Dr Nassali-Lukwago. This was in 2007.

Dr Nassali-Lukwago was charged with concealment of crime in relation to her office attendant, who was prosecuted and found guilty of creating ghost national examination centres. The committee found her guilty of failure to report the crime to the PS.

Subsequently, the Education Service Commission recommended to President Museveni to demote Dr Nassali-Lukwago to rank of deputy director of ESA. Mr Museveni demoted her. The independent committee of inquiry, however, ruled that although Dr Nassali-Lukwago had a case against her, the punishment should be “reviewed from demotion to severe reprimand”.

This means that unless the appointing authority reverses the committee’s recommendation, the officer affected by the ruling, may not be immediately eligible for promotion before serving the reprimand.

However, instead of reversing the recommendation, Mr Museveni wrote on December 30, 2008 reversing the instrument of demotion he had earlier issued, citing failure by the Education Service Commission to summon the accused to defend herself, and that the post of deputy director did not exist in ESA.

The relationship between Mr Lubanga and Dr Nassali-Lukwago would only get worse after Mr Museveni appointed her to the committee of inquiry into alleged mismanagement of Universal Primary Education.
But with the reprimand sentence still on her, Dr Nassali-Lukwago has to get clearance from Public Service Commission before she can be confirmed as PS.

Apparently, the Public Service Commission has insisted on interviewing her first. “I am in contact with the secretary of Public Service Commission. He said he is waiting for feedback from State House,” she said. Asked about the impending interviews, Dr Nassali-Lukwago said: “They told me I will have to undergo vetting interviews. They want to find out my suitability to hold office of PS.”

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