By Juma Magino
KIBUKU
Kibuku Resident District Commissioner has issued a directive stopping the collection of extra charges for the registration of primary seven candidates and closing all mini boarding sections in government schools.
Mrs. Eva Kwesiga issued the directives during a meeting held yesterday, 19/4/2023, at Kobolwa Primary School, in Kibuku District. The meeting was attended by local leaders, teachers and parents.
The RDC alleges that her office has received numerous complaints from parents that many government aided schools are asking them extra fees before registering their children for UNEB examinations yet this process is supposed to be entirely free to all government sponsored candidates under the Universal Primary Education –UPE.
She also said that schools must stop over charging non-government aided candidates an amount of shs 40,000/= as they are allegedly doing now, saying that the amount to be paid must not exceed shs 20,000/=.
She also issued a tough directive closing all mini boarding sections at government aided schools in the district and ordered the District Police Commander to prosecute head teachers who will defy her directives.
She said this comes at a time when some parents who cannot afford paying boarding fees have reached her office saying that their children are forced to miss evening lessons yet at the end of the year, they are supposed to sit the same papers with those who access extra evening studies.
Hajji. Mohammed Nakeba, the chairperson Kibuku, commended the RDC’s directives saying the district leadership will help in implementing them. He urged the head teachers to stick to the 20,000/= registration fee because this is the recognized amount paid for the last 10 years.
On his part, however, Christopher Wamika the District Education Officer- DEO protested the move by the RDC to close boarding sections in schools. He said they are crucial in providing good performance in the entire district when it comes to national examinations and closing them will negatively affect the performance of learners because not everything can be covered during the normal learning schedule.
