Wakiso schools face closure over poor standards
School heads, parents and teachers from Wakiso district on Sunday stormed the home of the minister of state for Education, Rosemary Sseninde protesting government’s decision to close unlicensed schools ahead of the beginning of term.
Led by their different area leaders, the locals questioned why both the district leadership and the ministry of education officials were frustrating efforts by the different schools to have their schools licensed.
Several of them were seen holding placards with words that demonstrate their messages to the state education minister on the anticipated closures.
"You don't care about our children," one of the placards read while others emphasised that education should not only be a preserve of a select few.
The residents also allege that officials at both district and the ministry level have made it technically difficult to have their schools licensed because of the bureaucratic processes.
Sseninde however tasked the school heads to follow up with the district officials and at the ministry to expedite the licensing process by Feb 5th or else they risk closure.
According to Sseninde, the ministry of education has given a directive to all district education officers to clear all pending files.
Recently, the permanent secretary in the ministry of education Alex Kakooza acknowledged the pending backlog but promised that all files will be cleared.
Government has in the past maintained their stand to close over 1300 schools across the country without licenses come the 5th of February, when the first term is scheduled to begin.
