Education Ministry Emphasizes Shared School Supervision Role

The Ministry of Education and Sports has highlighted that the responsibility for inspecting and supervising schools is a shared one, extending beyond the central inspectorate to include local governments and other government bodies.

According to Ministry spokesperson Dennis Mugimba, effective school oversight requires collaboration across all levels of government, from the parish to the district. He pointed to recent inspections by the Ministry of Local Government as an example of how different institutions can work together to identify shortcomings in public service delivery.

Mugimba explained that while the Ministry of Education has its own inspectors, these are part of a broader supervision system. Local government structures are expected to provide routine oversight within their jurisdictions, a task made necessary by the sheer number of educational institutions.

As an illustration of the problems arising from insufficient oversight, Mugimba cited a 2024 investigation in Ntungamo District. An inquiry into potentially fictitious learners revealed that approximately 5,400 pupils, or about 19% of the recorded enrollment in the sampled schools, could not be accounted for.

Further discrepancies were found in enrollment figures reported at different government levels. The investigation uncovered inconsistencies between the numbers schools submitted to the district and those later forwarded to the Ministry of Education, and even more significant variations when figures reached the Ministry of Finance. Mugimba questioned the alteration of these numbers as they moved through the reporting chain.

Given the vast number of primary schools in Uganda, Mugimba stated that it is impractical for central inspectors to personally verify enrollment in every institution. Therefore, the ministry relies on the entire government apparatus for continuous supervision, with central inspectors playing a complementary role to local monitoring efforts.

Source: Nile Post