More schools close in Mukono, leaving over 600 pupils stranded

Authorities in Mukono Municipality have intensified a crackdown on illegal schools leaving at least 600 pupils stranded.

The latest operation conducted in Mukono Central Division on Tuesday saw two schools closed and pupils ordered to return home. The affected schools are Bills Junior School and Teddy and Dorah Primary School.

The two schools were not meeting the set Education Basic Requirements and Minimum Education Standards, according to Ms Doreen Nakitto, the Mukono Municipal Inspector of Schools.

She said Bills Junior School, for instance, was operating an unauthorized boarding section in two rooms, exposing pupils to danger. Additionally, the school lacks qualified teachers and enough classrooms, and two classes are mixed in a single room. Teachers and pupils share the same places of convenience and the school operates in dilapidated buildings.

“We’ve engaged these school directors for so many years, and during the holiday, we still inspected the schools and advised them not to open the boarding sections this year because the schools operate in condemned buildings,” Nakitto said in an interview.

Teddy and Dorah Primary School was also operating in rented double rooms and family houses contrary to set standards.

Lesson plans were also lacking at Teddy and Dorah Primary School. The male school bursar sleeps in the same dormitory as the girls in Primary Seven. “Imagine a school with only four teachers who teach pupils from P.1 to P.7,” she explained.

Mr Kizze Tenywa, the school's director for Teddy and Dorah, and Mr Joel Katumba, the headteacher, mobilised teachers and pupils to gang up against Ms Nakitto, which led to a verbal exchange between the two parties, but it was not enough to save the school.

Mr Tenywa explained that many of his teachers have not yet returned from the long holiday and if they fail to report, plans are underway to recruit new ones.

However, Sweet Memories Junior School survived being closed despite operating an illegal boarding section.

“I have given them one month to fix whatever is lacking and if they fail, they will also suffer the same fate,” Ms Nakitto warned.

Several parents support the ongoing crackdown on illegal schools because many have been conned of their hard-earned money.

“The operation is for the good of us and the future generation, but we hope that the authorities notify us early enough so we can avoid operating in losses after school dues are paid,” Mr Amos Kityo, a parent, said.

Last week as schools opened for the first term, authorities in Mukono Municipality arrested the director of Llona Children's Centre and four teachers for operating an illegal education institution. The school is located on the Canaan Site, Kasangalabi Village, Mukono Municipality.