By Sophan Niwamanya
apealrnews.com
The administration of St. Andrews Secondary School in Rubanda district is grappling with a critical shortage of teachers on the government payroll, a predicament that has triggered financial strains for the institution. With a student enrollment of 540, the school currently operates with only sixteen teachers, all of whom are male.
During the commissioning and handover of newly constructed boys’ and girls’ dormitories yesterday, each costing 138,471,820 shillings, and a five-stance toilet valued at 31,537,860 shillings, the Deputy Head Teacher, Jenuario Ariganyira, voiced concern over the adverse impact of understaffing on the quality of education provided at the school.
Ariganyira lamented that the salaries of the non-government teachers were being covered by the parents, exacerbating the school’s financial burden and compromising the overall educational experience for students.
Cue in Ariganyira: “The lack of enough teachers on the government payroll has greatly affected the quality of education being offered in the school since students are not receiving the necessary knowledge and skills required for their future.”
Responding to these concerns, the Rubanda District Education Officer, Francis Serununi, explained that the government’s recruitment of secondary school teachers had been hampered by wage deficits over the past two years. He assured, however, that recruitment has resumed, and they anticipate addressing the staffing challenges in schools facing shortages.
Cue in Serununi: “For the past 2 years, the government has not been recruiting secondary school teachers due to wage deficits, and that it has been only recruiting a few on a replacement basis that is replacing those who die and those who retire.”
In an additional development, Rubanda District LC5 Chairperson, Ampeire Stephen Kasyaba, called for the decentralization of the recruitment process for secondary school teachers. He believes that this approach would help mitigate instances of understaffing in secondary schools nationwide.
Cue in Kasyaba: “There is a need for the government to decentralize the recruiting of secondary school teachers, saying this will help minimize such cases of understaffing in secondary schools across the country.”
These concerns about education come amid reports of escalating vandalism of batteries and solar panels attached to newly installed street lights in Kabale municipality. Despite the initiative’s aim to enhance security and visibility, instances of vandalism have occurred in areas such as Johnson, Jackson, Rugarama, and Katuna streets. Two individuals were apprehended on Monday morning in Kabale on charges of vandalizing and stealing road furniture.
