The government has taken a crucial step by releasing Shillings 109.71 billion in capitation grants as schools open their doors to welcome students for the last and promotional term of this academic year.
The publication is just in time, according to Dr. Denis Mugimba, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Sports, to guarantee that teaching-learning activities go off without a hitch.
He continues by saying that the money is already in the school coffers, guaranteeing the smooth operation of the educational system.
“A school that has not received its proportions should immediately contact the respective officer of their local government,” the spokeswoman advised.
According to the information that is currently available, Universal Primary Education (UPE) will get 61.49 billion shillings, with the remaining funds going to secondary schools through the Universal Secondary Education (USE) program.
The monies make up 33 percent of the yearly capitation grant budget, which, excluding Kampala schools, is set at Shillings 329.16 billion for both programs run in 12,433 UPE and 1,206 USE schools.
The government makes an annual commitment known as the capitation grant to help fund students’ education.
At the moment, the government allots Shillings 17,000 for each primary school student and Shillings 56,000 for each USE program participant.
In accordance with the rules, a sizeable percentage of the award, totaling 35%, is reserved for necessary educational and scholastic resources, including supplies like chalk.
Additionally, co-curricular activities will receive 20% of the award.
The administration is given 10%, the school management receives 15%, and 20% is set aside for unforeseen costs.
The delayed delivery of this money, which has had a negative effect on numerous learning activities, has long been a source of concern for headteachers.
In order to ensure that these funds are released in time for the start of each new term, the government has implemented a revamped approach to their allocation.
The headteacher of St. Maria Goretti Mpugwe Primary School and the chairperson of the Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) for Masaka City, Francis Ssematimba, says that despite the admirable attempt to transfer cash promptly, worries continue that the allocated monies are still insufficient.
“We need a far greater allocation than the present 17,000 each year in order to meet the needs of schools within the context of universal education.
Due to a lack of funding, schools are occasionally forced to charge pupils fees to offset the lack of government funding,” Ssematimba continues.
Shillings 17,000, or around 5,666 per student every term, are allotted in his defence for a full year.
The whole resource envelope for the universal education initiatives much surpasses the capitation grants, according to Dr. Mugimba, who criticizes this way of calculating the amount of money the government is providing to schools.
The total resource envelope, for instance, for UPE and USE in FY 2022–2023, is 2.139 trillion shillings.
“The total resource envelope includes money for other components such as wages, capital development, instructional materials, school facilities grants, grant aiding for new schools, and inspection for local government,” he continues. However, Dr. Hamis Mugendawala, the Manager of Policy Research and Innovation at the National Planning Authority, brought up the importance of raising the capitation grant during a meeting with the education policy review panel earlier this year.
Dr. Mugendawala suggested that the award be increased to Shillings 63,546 per kid at the primary level, Shillings 532,720 for students in lower secondary education, and Shillings 885,440 for those in upper secondary education in order for it to have a significant and transformative impact.
According to Dr. Mugendawala, such an increase in funding will not only lessen the burden of fees and taxes at government institutions but also improve students’ overall educational experiences.
As the new semester gets underway, the problem of school regulation continues to be elusive, putting a significant financial load on parents who must deal with rising prices for their children’s education.
Despite repeated promises by the government to implement thorough regulations for both public and private schools, this situation continues.
The Ministry of Education and Sports was recently under pressure from Parliament to deliver the long-awaited regulations.
However, only the usual claims and promises have been made; nothing significant has come out of this initiative.
