Govt sets tough guidelines for boarding schools

The Ministry of Education has issued tough guidelines to all schools that operate boarding facilities to follow before the Second Term opens in May.

Ms Ketty Lamaro, the permanent secretary, in an April 19 circular, said any school found to be non-compliant and operating below 50 percent of the set rules would be shut down.

But the proprietors of private schools across the country have quickly expressed misgivings, saying the guidelines will be impracticable to put in place in only one month before the Second Term begins.

The demands

The robust rules demand that schools with boarding facilities must adhere to the many measures, including installing CCTV cameras, maintaining separate food storage areas from other stores, ensuring ample food supply capable of sustaining the students for at least one month, and displaying menus as evidence of offering balanced diets.

The schools are also required to provide spacious dining rooms that are equipped with suitable furniture and provide safe drinking water.

The dormitories must also be segregated by gender, with separate rooms for each age group.

The schools are also required to have guards stationed on 24-hour guard duty, working in pairs, and boosted by workers with basic security training and stationed within the dormitories.

Ms Lamaro said many schools continue to operate illegally and below the expected standards, resulting in loss of lives and properties of learners.

“The guidelines for operating and management of boarding facilities in schools and institutions have been reviewed to take into consideration the aspect of safety and security,” she said in the circular.

 “The Ministry of Education will carry out an inspection of boarding facilities during the Second Term and appropriate action will be taken on those operating below the required standards,” Ms Lamaro warned.

The Education ministry calendar shows schools are to close for the First Term holiday this week and reopen for Second Term next month on May 27. This implies schools without the set guidelines in place have only one month to implement the requirements.

School owners react

But the proprietors of private schools across the country say the guidelines will be impracticable to enforce given only one month before reopening for Second Term.

Mr Hasadu Kirabira, the chairperson of the National Private Education Institution Association (NPEIA), said whereas some aspects of the guidelines are reasonable and easy to put in place, the majority of the new rules are taxing and expensive to be met by most schools across the country.

He said most schools are still struggling to cope with the destructive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Kirabira said: “One needs about Shs2 million to Shs3 million to install CCTV [closed circuit television] in the entire school, which is very costly to some of us. This one is impossible and many schools do not have them and cannot have them.”

He said the demand to have a generous food supply capable of sustaining the student population for at least one month is not necessary because some schools buy their foodstuffs weekly, based on their income at hand.

“It is hard to store food for a full month because some schools store food as and when the students have paid school fees. Besides, some foods like matooke, sweet potatoes, and cassava, which are served on weekends cannot be stored for a month so this one is a no-go area,” Mr Kirabira said.

Nonetheless, Mr Kirabira said some of the demands to have in place security guards, enough latrines, and fencing off the schools can be attained. Even then, he said the ministry should give the schools enough time to meet the listed guidelines.

Backing tough measures

Whereas the owners of private schools are challenging some of the guidelines, Ms Deborah Basekanakyo, the acting chairperson of the Head Teachers Association in Uganda, pleaded with all schools to comply, saying the safety measures are essential for protecting the learners.

Ms Basekanakyo, who also serves as the head teacher of Wanyange Girls School in Jinja City, said most of the rules are clear-cut and should be adopted without reluctance.

“Most schools have cameras. In the beginning, they used to be expensive but now with the many service providers available, they have become cheap and schools can invest in them,” she said.

Ms Lamaro yesterday told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview that there should be no excuse regarding the limited time to apply the guidelines because all boarding schools were expected to have them in place before opening for the year.

“We shall sanction schools based on their level of compliance. For those with high risk, we shall close them. We shall have a yardstick of percentage. If they do not comply with half of the requirements, we shall close them because our children are a priority,” she warned.

Ms Lamaro also urged parents to assist the government and refrain from sending their children to non-compliant schools. She said this would compel schools to comply.

But Mr Filbert Baguma, the secretary general of Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu), blamed the lack of enforcement of guidelines to the Ministry of Education’s failure, resulting in many schools becoming complacent.

“The guidelines are a positive direction towards the safety of our children. But the enforcement is hampered by policymakers and politicians who own private schools,” Mr Baguma said.

“These schools belong to highly ranking people and politicians. An inspector cannot close the school of his or her boss. Even when you close it in the morning, the schools will be re-open by 10am and they will tell you; ‘it is an order from above,” he said.

New guidelines for operating boarding schools, institutions

 •Must obtain a registration certificate of the school from Ministry of Education and Sports (For Private School.

•Written permission to operate boarding facility from the ministry indicating the capacity that is; the number of students to occupy a given boarding facility.

• Proof of ownership or lease or tenancy agreement of the school premises drawn by an advocate/lawyer for schools in rental places.

•Occupancy permits for every dormitory,approved building plans’ up to date daily dormitory registers of safety and security guidelines issued by Inspector General of Police

• Minutes of a meeting by School Management Committees  or Board of  Governors with a clear resolution on the need of having a boarding facility as well as specific rules and regulations for boarding students.

• Functional Safety and Security Committeess: school-based policies on safety and security, lightning arrestors, firefighting equipment like fire extinguishers, water hydrants and at least within the dormitories, CCTV Cameras, a fence with controlled access, a book for registering people who enter and exit the school

•Contacts for the RDC/RCC, District Police Commander, District Education Office, District Inspector of Schools , police emergency line, District Health Officers must be displayed,

•Spacious separate dormitories  and rooms for each sex and age group. Also, each dormitory is expected to have at least two emergency exits, should have adequate laundry/ washing area and drying lanes,  have smoke detectors in each room and user friendly facilities for learners with special needs such as ramps and toilets

•No sockets inside the dormitories  and windows should have burglars and dormitories should be painted with water-based paint.

•Kitchen: Appropriate kitchen with utensils’ drying rack,appropriate and adequate food storage facilities ,appropriate food covers (not polythene or plastic), the menu should be displayed (as evidence of a balanced meal).

•Food store: It should be separate from all other stores, it should have adequate food that can last for at least a month, there should be food racks/shelves.

•Dining hall/ eating area:  Spacious and furnished with appropriate furniture and safe drinking water.

•Toilets/pit latrines: Adequate at a ratio of 1:40 with shutters, curtain walls and hand washing facilities with soap.

•Bathrooms: Proper drainage system with a functional soak pit,  and should offer privacy/partitioning with curtains or doors.

•Waste management: Rubbish pit, dustbins, channels for waste water draining into soak pits and functional incinerator(s).

•Sick bay: This should be operated by a qualified health worker who is registered by the nursing council.

The sickbay should have separate space according to sex.

•Vermin Control Measures: Schools should ensure they fumigate  dormitories on a termly basis.

 •Human resource: A specific senior member of the administration in charge of the dormitories and resident at school. Schools are expected to also employ resident matron/warden within the dormitories, have adequate cooks with appropriate uniform (head gear, apron, etc), qualified health worker, cleaners with uniforms and security guards.

•School cooks  and matrons are to  undergo medical examination every six months.

•Minimum academic qualification for matron is Primary Seven and should be regularly exposed to training on child welfare, protection and rights.

Minimum age of matron/warden is 30 years.

•Regular capacity building for all non-teaching staff on safety and security.

•Support systems: Psychosocial support programmes,life skills for instance prevention of self-harm and management of peer bullying and adult abuse.

Compiled by Jane Nafula

The checklist

1. Application Form

2 .Proprietor’s CV and Photo

3. Head teacher’s CV and Photo

4. Directorate of Education Standards Regional Report for boarding section

5. District Inspection Report for boarding section approved by the District Education officer.

6. Health Inspection Report for boarding section

7. Approved building plans for the dormitories

8. Every dormitory has an occupancy permit.

9. Full-time school guards operating 24 hours and underwent basic training

10. Emergency contacts for the RDC/RCC, DPC, DEO, DIS, Town clerk, and DHO displayed.

11. Psychosocial support program in place.

12. Proper electrical wiring with regular power audits (no hanging wires).

13. Appropriate space to keep suitcases or metallic boxes of students.

14.  A functional fire extinguisher on every block of the dormitories

15. Appropriate and secure electrical wiring (no hanging wires )

16. Sick bay or a designated room with qualified health worker

17. Basic drugs stocked and appropriate storage facility for drugs.

18. Well documented referral system.

19. Dustbins or refuse pit in a strategic place and well maintained

20. Vector control measures

21. Safe water facility within the school

22. At least two emergency exits in each dormitory and clearly marked

23. No burglar-proofed windows

24. Appropriate space between beds to ease movement

25. Adequate bathrooms of at least a ratio of 1: 25