The Uganda National Teachers Association (UNATU) has asked the government to meet the cost of implementing the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) for government schools, saying the capitation grant given to schools is not enough.
The call comes as the schools are set to reopen for candidate classes later this month after being closed for over six months over COVID-19 Pandemic.
In a letter dated September 2, 2020 to the Minister for Finance, Matia Kasaija, the Education Minister who also doubles as the First Lady, Janet Museveni asked that funds in terms of capitation grant to the government schools for the third term should be released to enable them to prepare for the new term.
“I refer to the meeting held on September 1, 2020 by the President and the national Covid-19 taskforce at State House Entebbe. The meeting resolved that a phased reopening of schools starting with candidate classes be implemented starting with September 20, 2020,” Mrs. Museveni says in the letter.
The Education Minister says because the capital grant for third term of year 2020 was not released by government to schools in July because they were closed, the money should now be sent.
“On account of the position taken in the above-stated meeting, this is therefore to request you to cause the release of the funds to the beneficiary schools to prepare for the phased reopening of schools.”
Capitation grant money is used on instructional materials, co-curricular activities, school maintenance, and payment for utilities such as electricity water, among others by government schools.
According to the Ministry of Education, each pupil gets Shs17,000 per year in government-aided primary schools, whereas in secondary schools, each A-level student gets Shs88,000 and Shs55,000 for O-level per term as capitation grant.
President Museveni recently allowed educational institutions to reopen for final year students undertaking health-related courses.
The Secretary General of UNATU, Filbert Baguma says that the preparedness of government primary and secondary schools is not sufficient enough hence the need for government to meet the cost of implementing the SOPs if schools are to be reopened this month.
He also said that the teachers have asked for strategies that have been put in place by the government to secure them from contracting COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the National Secretary of the Federation for Non-State Education Institutions Patrick Kaboyo said that most private schools are ready to reopen because they have already put in place the SOPs that were set by the Ministry of Health.