The Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom have lashed at the government for paying a deaf ear as schools hike fees coupled with the unending school requirements that they say has left many unprivileged children unable to attain education.
The Bunyoro officials led by the Kingdom prime minister Andrew Byakutaga made the remarks during an interface with the Education policy review commission that is currently in Bunyoro, gathering views on possible overhaul of the education policy.
While interfacing with the education policy review commission in Hoima that is seeking views on a possible overhaul of the education policy that was formulated in 1992, the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom officials accused the government of paying deaf ear as schools hike fees thus making education expensive.
This they say is making it hard for the poor to attain better education, and consequently leading to school dropout.
"At the start of this year circulars came out with students being asked to pay shs 3m 4m and these were government schools, how did we get there, besides high fees the school requirements are very high, actually someone was telling me that now taking a child to school is like as if you are going to marry, they ask for cement, brooms, buckets, and all that, but who approves all these, where is the ministry and government, so now the education in Uganda is for the rich people, this is indeed bad, the ministry must wake up and regulate schools" Andrew Byakutaga Bunyoro Kingdom prime minister said
"We are now creating a division in society, the poor go to poor schools in villages and the rich go to good schools in towns, but these have to live in the same society, how then shall we fight discrimination when it is being promoted right from education institutions" Kaliisa Kabagambe, Presidential advisor on oil and gas wondered
Andrew Byakutaga the Bunyoro Prime Minister Andrew Byakutaga wonders why the government has failed to take action against the inspector of schools, who he says most of them keep in office, making fake reports.
He says the entire system needs to be overhauled to and prioritize innovative sector-based training.
"When we were studying inspectors would come and be in class to assess how teachers are teaching, but today this has died out when the inspectors want to make reports they just seat in their offices make reports which are not true, they will claim that all is fine when it's not because they have not visited the schools, government can we be serious and a little more tough when it comes to monitoring and inspections" Byakutaga advised.
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"And today we don't need to follow up these inspectors it's a matter of embracing technology, as they claim to be inspecting so there must be someone monitoring them using tech gadgets they are not expensive, even my phone can do that, or else we are headed to put down our education system " Kaliisa noted.
Byakutaga is however not happy with the continued habit by the government of instituting commissions that make good resolutions that are never implemented.
"Let's be honest a lot of commissions have been set, they come here and seek for our inputs then go but nothing is implemented, is this committee going to be different, because we can't say all is fine, a lot of commissions have made resolutions but the education sector is not getting better anyway but worsening" Byakutaga noted
Dr Kedrice Turyagyenda the team lead for the Education Policy review commission says they will incorporate all the collected views during the amendment of the education policy.
"We have visited most regions in the country, now left with Kigezi and Rwenzori and these views we are getting from the stakeholders we will put them together present a report to government that will guide in the revision of our Education policy so that the sector does better, we can assure the country all these recommendations made will be considered during the revision" Dr Turyagyenda said
