By Weswa Ronnie
NATIONAL
The State House Education Desk has today Thursday raised concern over the growing habit in some Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) schools where learners are admitted and denied lessons over unpaid fees.
Jimmy Nambiro, the President’s Private Secretary in-charge of Education and Skilling said some school administrators had devised new ways of frustrating the government’s free education programme after coming under pressure to stop sending learners home over illegal charges.
Nambiro while speaking to our reporter today in an exclusive interview says that investigation by his office had established that some head teachers were allowing children into school, but gathering them in one hall without providing teachers to attend to them because of non-payment.
He said the learners are kept idle in halls the whole day while their colleagues are in class learning, a practice he described as inhuman and a violation of the children’s right to education.
Nambiro said instead of sending learners home, some head teachers are now isolating them, denying them lessons, making them sit outside classes or giving them punishments to force parents to pay.
Nambiro narrated that President Museveni introduced UPE in 1997 and USE in 2007 to expand access to education particularly for children from disadvantaged households.
He said the programmes were meant to ensure that no child drops out of school because of poverty, and therefore no head teacher should frustrate that vision through illegal charges.
He warned that any head teacher found isolating or denying learners lessons over fees will face disciplinary action.
He urged parents to report such schools to State House Education Desk and District Education Officers for immediate action.
