Here is why govt closed 1,300 illegal schools

Over the last three months, a government-sanctioned crackdown closed at least 1,308 substandard nursery, primary and secondary schools and vocational training institutes before the operation was halted last week.

The facts about the closures are shocking – in fact, many are scandalous. A list of all closed private schools obtained and published by The Observer today, shows many were shut because they had no qualified teachers, no structures, no licenses and pit latrines.

In other words, many closed schools met none of the minimum requirements set by the ministry of education. The Observer has learnt that the list was compiled by the ministry of education’s private schools and institutions department and the directorate of Education Standards (DES).

The list also shows districts, sub-counties, divisions, municipal councils (M/C), district local governments (DLG) and town councils (T/C) where the closed schools are located.

The countrywide crackdown, which has since been suspended, followed a 2016 circular from the ministry of education ordering  education officers to close schools without the basic requirements and minimum standards (BRMS).

UNQUALIFIED TEACHERS

According to the 2014 guidelines for establishing private institutions, a head teacher for a primary school must be qualified, registered with the ministry and with a qualification not below a grade V teaching certificate. 

The same guidelines require all private teachers to be registered and licensed. But at Victory Junior School located in the eastern Kamuli town council, education officials found that: “the school lacked qualified teachers, one teacher seems to be drunk and no learning was taking place.”

In the western Kibaale district, all its 13 closed schools were not licensed on top of employing unqualified teachers that were also poorly paid. All teachers in these schools had neither schemes of work nor prepared lesson plans that are mandatory at every start of a school term.

In an interview with The Observer last Friday, Huzaifah Abdallah Mutazindwa, the director of the Directorate of Education Standards (DES), said most of the closed schools largely lacked qualified staff.

“The proprietors of these schools use untrained teachers; moreover, senior four school dropouts who don’t know the methodologies of teaching but rely on past papers and pamphlets,” Mutazindwa said.

“In cases where they [schools] had trained teachers, they were encroaching on those in already-established private and government schools and employ them on part-time,” he said.

Indeed the list showed that most closed schools had no curriculum books and education officials wondered what teachers used to teach learners. At Sacred Heart PS located in Nakaseke district next to Radio Musana, there was no qualified human resource including the head teacher of the school.

Such schools with unqualified staff, Mutazindwa said, are highly responsible for the dwindling education standards in the country.

POOR INFRASTRUCTURE

Almost every school on the list had issues with its infrastructure. In the island district of Buvuma alone, all the 11 closed schools in Buwooya, Nairambi and Busamizi sub-counties and Buvuma town council were unlicensed due to poor hygiene and teaching facilities.

It is worse in schools in Nakaseke district. Learners at The Bridge PS in Kiwoko town council share the same premises with a secondary school.

“The school has only four classrooms, of which two are illegal dormitories. Children have no beds and are congested yet the latrines, bathrooms and washrooms are very few and untidy,” reads the ministry officials’ report on closing the school.

Male students at Kiwoko Christian High School, also in the same district, are housed almost in the same premises with primary school girls. The school is also not licensed and runs an illegal boarding section.

Crossing over to Kamuli district, inspectors were compelled to close Trust Junior School found operating in an open church.

AFFECTED DISTRICTS

Out of the 1,308 closed schools in 33 districts, Mbarara district local government with at least 11 sub-counties has the most affected schools. At least 132 schools were closed there. Most of the closed schools are located in the sub-counties of Mwizi with 20, Rugando (18) and Bugamba (17).

Some of the closed schools are Bruex PS, Nshuro Quality School, Kashaka Muslim, 3 Stars Junior School, Nshuro SS and Rwentamu Technical Institute. Rakai district follows with 103 closed schools, Kaberamaido (96), Kyegegwa (95) and Mayuge with 87 schools.

Mubende follows with 77 affected schools located in 13 sub-counties. According to reasons cited for closure, most schools did not have qualified staff, inspection reports and the basic minimum requirement standards for setting up a school.

For instance, in the sub-counties of Kitumbi, Madudu, Kitenga and Kassanda, schools like St Noa Nfuka PS, Light Infants PS, Eden PS, St Matia ECD and St Joseph PS had no evidence of qualified staff.

At Glory nursery and primary school, ministry officials found no evidence of teaching facilities for learners and closed the school immediately. In this crackdown, the least affected districts so far are; Otuke and Lugazi/Mukono with nine schools closed apiece and Kole with eight.

For now, ministry of education officials are awaiting MPs to conclude their field visits, which started last week, to establish the basis for closing the schools in the affected districts.

“We shall remain patient and see if Parliament will allow us to continue with our exercise because we are working in accordance with the 2008 Education Act,” Mutazindwa said.

SCHOOLS CLOSED PER DISTRICT

nangonzi@observer.ug