The Nakaseke district education department has ordered closure of 44 private schools for breaching provisions of the education act and operating below to meet basic minimum education standards.
The affected schools include Bright Morning Star Primary School, Sacred Heart Primary School, Magoma Church of Uganda Nursery School, Faith Nursery School-Lumpewe, Grace and Goodness Nursery School, Covenant Primary School-Bamusuuta, Hidden Treasure Primary School, Mifunya Primary School and Kyamutakasa Primary School among others.
According to the district education leadership, some of the schools did not have operational licenses and qualified teachers, lacked toilet facilities, structures and compounds for sporting activities. A few others were operating from within the road reserve, commercial buildings and environments considered unsafe for learners.
Ignatius Koomu Nakaseke district Chairman says some schools were using dropouts as teachers, a situation that has contributed to the poor performance of learners at all cycles of education. He added that some schools are a threat to learners.
The District Education Officer Stephen Batanudde says the school directors were notified to bridge the gaps before resuming operations, but took no action over the last one year. Batanudde says that District Inspectors have been deployed to close the schools.
But school administrators have received the news with mixed reactions. Betty Kawala, the Deputy Head teacher of Magoma Church of Uganda Primary School says although they were notified last year, they needed more time to fulfil all requirements, while at Standard Christian High School, teachers, Joseph Byaruhanga and William Semeere, pleaded for more time to put things right.
