Despite the critical role of school inspections in enhancing learning outcomes, a report from the Education ministry’s Directorate of Education Standards (DES) shows that inspection coverage remains alarmingly low across the country, writes YUDAYA NANGOZI.
The inspection standards indicate that by identifying strengths and weaknesses, inspectors provide actionable feedback that schools rely on to enhance teaching, infrastructure, and overall management.
Inspectors also hold schools accountable for complying with national education standards. However, data from the electronic inspection system reveals that many schools missed such guidance last year. Statistics from the Directorate of Education Standards (DES) revealed that a dismal 35% of government and private schools nationwide underwent inspection in 2024.
The murky inspection figures were shared recently by the acting director of DES, Frances Atima, during a training session for District Education Officers (DEOs) and inspectors held at St Henry’s College Kitovu in Masaka.
The training aimed to enhance the capacity of DEOs and inspectors to use the Integrated Inspection System (IIS) to promote effective school leadership, teaching, and learning, leading to improved learning outcomes.
It targeted districts that recorded the lowest PLE results and School Performance Assessment outcomes in 2023, including Kassanda, Bukomansimbi, Buikwe, Mubende, Buvuma, Sembabule, Kiboga, and Kayunga. Others were Nakasongola, Kyankwanzi, Kanungu, Kagadi, Kibaale, Kiryandongo, Hoima, Kitagwenda, Kakumiro, Kisoro, Rubanda, Kikuube, and Buliisa.
INSPECTION FINDINGS
Atima expressed embarrassment that only 35% of schools were inspected nationally in 2024. In districts such as Masaka, with 319 schools, and Gulu, with 149 schools, the inspection coverage was as low as 3%.
“I know inspectors will say they lack transport to the schools, but there’s no way you can convince us that you visited 3% of the schools, yet the district released a certain percentage of the inspection funds. We don’t expect inspectors to cover 100% of the schools, but you can’t still cover so low. How shall we help the teachers improve learning outcomes when inspectors are not on the ground?” Atima asked.
According to the data, the Northern region had the highest inspection coverage, at 57%, followed by the Eastern region at 42%, the Western region at 36%, and the Central region in last place at 24%.
By sub-region, only Karamoja and West Nile recorded the highest number of schools inspected, at 75% and 73% respectively. Tooro and Buganda had the least coverage, with 21% and 24% of schools inspected.
The district outlook showed that Pakwach, Bukwo, Kaabong, Kalaki, Kabale, Rukungiri, Nebbi, and Moroto municipalities performed exceedingly well after all their primary schools were inspected. Districts that performed poorly, with only a handful of schools inspected last year, are Kira municipality, Otuke, Kapchorwa, Serere, Alebtong, Wakiso, Ntungamo, Kabarole, Masaka, and Gulu.
Kanungu was highlighted as a “special case due for investigation” as the inspectors in the area had no data on the E-Inspection system. The inspection statistics further indicated that little effort was made to inspect government schools, which operate largely with public funds, while private schools were highly ignored by inspectors.
Municipalities with fewer inspections in government schools compared to private ones are; Bugiri, Busia, Makindye-Ssababo, Koboko, Kasese, Mukono, Kitgum, Entebbe, and Mityana.
For instance, in Makindye-Ssabagabo, which had the lowest inspection percentage (14%) among municipalities, only 14 government schools were inspected compared to 71 private schools out of 524 schools in the area. In Mukono, which has a total of 339 schools, only 33 government schools and 129 private schools were covered.
Atima insisted that the ideal situation would involve inspecting more government schools than private ones, emphasizing that all public schools should be inspected at least once every school term.
WHY FEW SCHOOLS
Several DEOs attributed the low inspection figures to significant logistical challenges in their districts. While acknowledging the findings, they requested the Education ministry to address funding gaps in inspection budgets. The DEO of Buvuma, Hussein Bugembe, cited a lack of transport and fuel to inspect all schools in the district scattered across 52 islands.
“The few resources do not permit us to cover every island. So, the limited resources are used to inspect schools on the main island of Buvuma, which is easily accessible. It is only on a few occasions when we have multi-sectoral monitoring with the ministry of Health when we jointly hire a boat to reduce transport costs,” Bugembe said.
Buvuma’s annual inspection budget is Shs 18m. The district has 20 public primary schools, three public secondary schools, and more than 40 private schools. Bugembe noted that the inspectors rarely visit schools located on the furthest islands due to a lack of fuel. The district needs at least Shs 2m to travel to Lubya and Lyabaana Islands on a return journey by boat. At Lwaje Island, the furthest, more than Shs 1.5m in fuel is required.
“We need resident inspectors on the islands to cut costs. The government should set up accommodation units for inspectors instead of having them travel from the district to the islands. With this plan, an inspector can use about Shs 100,000 on a boat to move around the other islands,” Bugembe said.
In Buikwe, the DEO, Julius Musasizi, agreed that the district’s performance was unsatisfactory. With an inspection budget of Shs 43m, the district has 73 public primary public schools, 300 private schools, and seven government secondary schools.
“The inspector-to-school ratio is still low. Inspectors not only do inspection work but also engage in other activities, which overwhelms their workload,” Musasizi said. He added that the district occasionally works with associate assessors [retired teachers] to inspect schools, but “sometimes they are also tired or cannot put pressure on the schools they visit.”
According to William Baleke, the acting DEO of Kakumiro, “We need to expedite our work and be on the ground. We may not blame the inspectors so much because learning never ends. With more training, the inspectors will be frequently on the ground.”
Kakumiro’s inspection budget is Shs 34m, and the district has 83 government primary schools, 10 secondary schools, and 176 private schools.
POLITICAL INTERFERENCE
To further improve the quality of their work, inspectors urged the Education ministry to address the increasing political interference in school inspections. Many inspectors who voiced their pleas requested anonymity, fearing repercussions from political leaders in their districts.
They cited cases where local and national politicians, some of whom also own schools, downplayed recommendations or forced inspectors to paint rosier pictures of their institutions.
“There are RDCs who monitor inspections in schools where they have interests. Our hands are tied amidst the poor conditions in some schools. The RDCs brag that they work for the president and are only answerable to the head of state,” one inspector said.
Another inspector noted that head teachers, mainly in government schools, are demoralized by political leaders.
“RDCs storm schools, make arbitrary arrests of head teachers, and, at worst, force district authorities to transfer head teachers and teachers unnecessarily. RDCs even write reports to district councils about schools without the DEO’s knowledge,” an inspector said.
The permanent secretary of the Education ministry, Dr Kedrace Turyagyenda, warned that political interference has far-reaching consequences for the education sector.
“It is sad if some political leaders are not supporting the teaching and learning process. Inspectors are technical people who work towards achieving standards and quality in schools. When inspectors make any recommendations like closing or suspending a school, they must be adhered to,” Turyagyenda.
She added: “We have consistently told inspectors to take photos of situations before and after their visits and share them with supervisors as evidence.”
Turyagyenda urged political leaders to support inspectors rather than punish them arbitrarily.
“If you are a political leader, you should take pride in knowing how every institution in your area is progressing. I am confident that gradually, sanity will prevail, and inspectors will do their work without interference,” Turyagyenda said.
nangonzi@observer.ug