EXCLUSIVE: Students flood gov't schools as parents fail to pay private school fees

The growing demand for education services in Mbale city has put more pressure on the few government schools without matching facilities.

Schools like Nkoma SS, Mbale SS, and Mbale High School have an average of 5000 students, accounting for 46% of the overall student population in the city.

Stakeholders are now appealing to the government to establish more schools to absorb the overflow and match the growing population.

DETAILS

Mbale city has a total enrolment of over 31,000 secondary school students distributed across 5 government schools and 29 private schools. 60% of these are in government schools while the 29 private schools share 40%.

However, three of the five government schools including Mbale SS, Nkoma SS, and Mbale High school account for 46% of the overall enrolment in the city. Others include Bukonde and Nakaloke Secondary Schools. The schools were established between the 1950 and early ’80s.

Nkoma SS in particular is reported to have 6,539 students followed by 4,700 and 3,328 for Mbale SS and Mbale High school respectively, compared to 450 students for an average private school.

Ntege Ramadhan, Deputy HM Nkoma SS, says each stream has between 100-120 students.

“When it comes to administration we have five deputy head teachers in addition to the head teacher”. Ntege added.

Relatedly, James Danga, Deputy HM Mbale SS, says the school has six deputy head teachers each attached to a class for effective administration.

The three schools are concentrated in the central business district leaving the outskirts of the city without one. 

Every morning and evening, the streets that lead to the three closely located academic giants are flooded with students traveling miles in pursuit of affordable education.

Janat, a female student of Mbale High School, told Nile Post that she needs UGX 2000 as transport daily, but her parents have to choose between giving her transport and lunch. Although she has gotten accustomed to trekking over 10KM between home and school every day, Janat says it becomes challenging during the rainy season.

The standard ratio is 50 students per stream according to Mbale Secondary school deputy Head teacher James Danga. Going by this ratio, the school would require over 20 streams for senior one alone. The school currently has 11 streams against 1200 senior one students.

About half a decade ago, the Ministry of education supported the triple academic giants with more facilities to match the ever growing student population.

With support from parents, the school administrations in the three schools have put up more facilities to supplement government efforts. These include; the “A” level block, main Hall, and some classroom block at Nkoma Secondary school and Canon Nyote building at Mbale Secondary School.

These interventions and their subsequent improvement in academics and discipline have attracted more students, escalating pressure on the available facilities. “we receive a lot of requests from parents coming to ask for vacancies for their children” Danga says the school is overwhelmed by request from parents seeking vacancies.

Mbale City Education Officer Lynace Nasimiyu attributes the high students numbers in government school to government’s withdrawal of Universal Secondary Education partnership from private schools, coupled with the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown and subsequent mass transfer of students from private schools to government schools. 

Danga, the deputy head teacher, says the school is overwhelmed by request from parents seeking vacancies.

The student-teacher ratio is equally bad. For instance, Nkoma SS has 75 teachers on the government payroll, while Mbale SS and Mbale high schools have 106 and 56 teachers on the government payroll respectively.

The remaining two government schools outside the central Business district are equally overcrowded. Bukonde secondary school is reported to have 1356 students against 7 classrooms and 23 teachers. The school does not have a laboratory or library. Some classes are held under tents recently donated to the school by UNICEF.

Stakeholders have appealed to government to establish more government schools to absorb the growing student population.