A recent study focusing on governance and accountability within Uganda’s public primary schools has linked the difficulties encountered by various institutions to the ineffectiveness of School Management Committees (SMCs).
The research highlighted critical issues impacting SMCs, financial accountability, and the integration of students with special needs.
The research carried out by the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), under the leadership of Michael Wafaana, focused on eight schools located in the districts of Sheema, Yumbe, and Namayingo.
The results uncovered several significant governance challenges, indicating that SMCs, which are tasked with overseeing school management, frequently lack adequate induction and training.
Wafaana pointed out that many of these committees lack a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. He remarked that numerous members do not have the necessary education to handle vital tasks, such as interpreting important documents.
The report further emphasized the persistent tensions between SMCs and headteachers, largely stemming from ambiguous role definitions.
“School management committees sometimes overstep their mandates, attempting to supervise classroom activities or becoming signatories on school accounts,” the report indicated.
Insufficient government funding surfaced as another significant obstacle, with an annual allocation of just shs20,000 per child.
Wafaana highlighted that this sum falls far short of what is necessary to adequately support public primary schools, especially for students with disabilities.
He stressed that children with disabilities, particularly those who are visually impaired, face significantly higher educational expenses due to the necessity for specialized tools like Braille. The research also highlighted the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades to support students with physical disabilities, pointing out that many schools are missing vital features such as ramps for better accessibility.
To tackle these issues, the study recommended that the government offers training for School SMC members and clarify their responsibilities in line with the Education Act.
Additionally, it called for an increase in funding per child to improve school operations and support special needs education more effectively.
He observed that the involvement of parents, which is crucial for the educational journey, has declined since the implementation of Universal Primary Education (UPE).
The study emphasizes the importance of re-engaging parents to boost school governance and overall performance.
The report recommended for the Ministry of Education and district education officials to enhance their inspection and accountability systems.
It highlighted the necessity for inspection reports to be disseminated to schools, along with specific timelines for the execution of performance improvement plans.
Wafaana urged the government to clarify the overlapping responsibilities between the Directorate of Education Standards and district education officers, as these ambiguities currently obstruct effective governance in public primary schools.
The initiative seeks to bolster local social accountability mechanisms to ensure equitable learning opportunities and is being carried out in collaboration with CSBAG and the Uganda Society for Disabled Children.
While the Ugandan government is required to formulate a plan for compulsory basic education, it still lacks a thorough formal policy, even though Universal Primary Education (UPE) is being implemented, the report points out.
Ismael Mulindwa, the Director of Basic Education and Secondary Education at the Ministry of Education and Sports, acknowledged that good governance and accountability are crucial for providing equitable, quality education to all children in Uganda.
He pointed out that SMCs often lack a clear understanding of their roles in supporting headteachers.
He stressed that if these committees fail to hold themselves accountable, resources like the capitation grant may not be used effectively.
Despite the establishment of accountability mechanisms from the national level down to schools, Mulindwa admitted that significant challenges remain.
The report also uncovered additional issues, such as the absence of a comprehensive documented policy on UPE, inconsistencies within the policy framework, inadequate oversight of school management committees, and minimal parental engagement in school governance, all of which weaken accountability.
Mulindwa emphasized the need for strategic direction, effective oversight, and optimal resource utilization to ensure a well-functioning education system.
He recognized the strides Uganda has made in enhancing access to public primary education via the UPE initiative, which has seen enrolment soar from 3.1 million to 10 million students since its inception in 1997.
“Currently, 99% of government-aided primary schools implement UPE, with over 70% of learners enrolled in these schools,” he noted.
Despite the progress made, significant challenges persist, such as low survival rates to Primary 7 and limited transitions to Secondary.
Civil society organizations point to insufficient funding as a key factor behind these issues. While funding is essential, this report highlights that deficiencies in governance and accountability mechanisms also obstruct the effective provision of quality primary education.
Evelyn Kenyangi, the District Education Officer for Sheema, further emphasized the repercussions of poor governance, noting, “In Sheema district, the high dropout rates, especially among boys, stem directly from governance challenges in our schools. We must also urgently tackle the issue of school feeding”.
Recommendations
The report advocates for amending the Education Act (2008) to make the recommendations from the Directorate of Education Standards mandatory for local governments; and emphasizes the need for adequate funding to eliminate fees that place a burden on parents, urging the Ministry of Finance to progressively allocate sufficient resources for UPE capitation grants while considering annual inflation.
It highlights the importance of teacher recruitment and infrastructure enhancement by ensuring that UPE schools have enough teachers and improving facilities to alleviate costs for parents, which are factors contributing to high dropout rates.
The report also calls for the development of standardized monitoring formats for school supervision that involve engagement with School Management Committee (SMC) members.
It suggests establishing a Comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding where foundation bodies advocate for a clear agreement with the Ministry of Education regarding the rights, roles, and responsibilities in managing government-aided primary schools and ensuring close collaboration with SMCs is encouraged to foster effective governance and accountability while mobilizing additional resources for schools and standardizing training for SMCs.
Other recommendations include creating and formalizing a comprehensive policy on UPE, issuing regulations to define the composition and functions of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), revising current SMC regulations to incorporate academic qualifications, remuneration, and clearly defined roles, and directing foundation bodies to stop charging fees to learners while prohibiting headteachers and SMCs from collecting or remitting such funds
