Six officials from Ntungamo District, including the District Education Officer, a Municipal Education Officer, and five head teachers, have been charged with causing financial loss and abuse of office.
The charges stem from an investigation into the inflation of pupil numbers in Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools in a bid to secure larger capitation grants from the government.
The officials, who are employed by the Ntungamo District Local Government and the Government of Uganda in various government schools, are accused of inflating the reported number of pupils in their schools for the 2023/2024 financial year.
This led to a significant discrepancy in pupil numbers, with the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development allocating funds based on inflated figures.
The accused include Fred Bahati, the District Education Officer, Gordon Nabaasa, the Municipal Education Officer, and head teachers from various schools, including Ntungamo Primary School, Ruhko Primary School, Maato Primary School, and Kikoni SDA Primary School.
These individuals allegedly submitted false data about the number of pupils in their schools to receive higher capitation grants from the government.
Investigations revealed that the Ministry of Finance was paying capitation grants for 124,817 pupils in 249 UPE schools in Ntungamo District, based on the figures provided by the Ministry of Education.
However, further investigation showed that the district had only about 80,000 pupils, meaning that more than 40,000 "ghost" pupils were being reported, leading to a financial loss of approximately Shs1 billion.
The investigation identified two key factors contributing to the financial loss. Firstly, the headteachers in the UPE schools inflated pupil numbers to secure additional funds.
Secondly, the District Education Department failed to properly verify the data submitted by the headteachers before forwarding it to the Ministry of Education.
This negligence resulted in the Ministry of Finance receiving incorrect figures, which directly impacted the financial releases.
Additionally, the investigation found that the headteachers did not adhere to proper guidelines for spending the capitation and education grants.
Many headteachers lacked accountability for how the funds were used, and the District Education Department failed to demand accountability before releasing further financial support.
Two teachers, Tunanukye Marsaile and Nkumiriza Molly, have also been charged with conspiracy to defeat justice. They allegedly interfered with an investigation into pupil enrolment at Nyakasi Primary School by transferring nursery pupils into Primary One in an attempt to manipulate the enrolment data.
The charges against the Ntungamo district officials highlight the ongoing issue of financial mismanagement in Uganda’s education sector, particularly in UPE schools.
The case continues to be a point of concern for government officials and citizens alike, as efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in public funds remain a critical issue.