Parents, old students, and local leaders in Nakitoma Sub-county, Nakasongola District, have expressed disappointment over government's decision to drop long-serving teachers at Nakitoma Senior Secondary School following its recent takeover as a Seed School.
Founded in 1994 by the local community, Nakitoma S.S. was established after residents realized the Sub-county lacked a secondary school.
Parents collectively bought land, constructed basic infrastructure, and employed their own children most of whom were graduates to teach at the school on a modest salary of Shs 150,000.
Now, 30 years later, the government has taken over the school as part of the Seed School program.
However, community members say the transition has come at a high cost losing the very teachers who built the school.
"These teachers have served for years under difficult conditions. They are qualified, and we expected that government would prioritize them," said James Semyalo, the Chairperson of the Board of Governors.
“They applied through Public Service but only one teacher was shortlisted. That’s very disappointing.”
The school currently has over 250 students and more than 20 teachers, all previously supported financially by parents.
Semyalo noted that after COVID-19 strained parents’ finances, they requested government support specifically for infrastructure and salaries not a complete overhaul of staff.
“We recruited teachers after reviewing their credentials and even submitted their documents to relevant authorities. It's unfair to ask them now to compete in Kampala against people who don’t know this school,” he added.
Local leaders echoed the frustration.
Samuel Mwesekezi, the District Councilor for Nakitoma Sub-county, condemned the move, stating, "Our children studied hard, got the qualifications, and were unemployed. When parents offered them teaching jobs, it was a solution. That effort should be respected."
LC5 Chairperson Sam Kigula was even more direct in his criticism.
“This government should be embarrassed. The Prime Minister came here and promised that founder teachers would be given priority,” he said. “They should come and conduct interviews here, not in Kampala.”
Kigula added that previous experiences show teachers posted from urban areas often leave within a few years. “These teachers are from here. They’ve mastered the environment. Removing them could harm the students' learning.”
Despite the concerns, the Chief Administrative Officer of Nakasongola District, Aggrey Muramira, urged calm and patience.
“We encourage parents and administrators to embrace the changes and trust the system. The Ministry of Public Service is handling everything,” Muramira stated.
Still, the community remains hopeful that the government will reconsider its stance and give priority to the teachers who have been instrumental in sustaining the school for the past three decades.