Senior Reporter
Sub-county chiefs, in collaboration with local council leaders, have been instructed to work together to apprehend parents who refuse to enroll their school-age children in school. These parents will be subjected to community service in schools as a means of publicly shaming them.
The announcement was made by Deputy RDC Mbarara, Kaswabuli Peter Watch, during a gathering with head teachers and district stakeholders at the official release of the 2023 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) at Mbarara District Council Hall Kamukuzi.
The event was attended by Mbarara District Chairperson, Tabaro Didas Tumwesigye, along with district executive members, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Ms. Tinka Betty, District Inspector of Schools (DIS) Ms. Kellen Ayebazibwe, and the District Education team led by Murangira Kenneth, among others.
During the ceremony, the District Chairperson announced Kyamatambarire Primary School in Rubaya Sub-county as the top performer in the PLE 2023, winning a reward of ten million shillings. Additionally, the district local government pledged to purchase a vehicle for the head teacher.
Out of 3,348 pupils who took the PLE, 781 passed in division one, 2,072 in division two, 314 in division three, 89 in division four, 55 were graded in U grade, and 37 were absent.
Rubindi Sub-county secured the first position with a pass rate of 38.4%, followed by Rubaya Sub-county, administering Kyamatambarire Primary School, with 27.4%, and Rwanyamahembe Sub-county in third place with 26.0%.
Kagongi Sub-county had a poor performance, scoring 13.3%, with only 57 pupils achieving division one out of 441 learners who sat for the examinations, according to a report presented by DIS Ms. Kellen Ayebazibwe.
Kaswabuli emphasized that the directive to arrest parents who neglect their responsibility to enroll their children in school will be communicated to the district security committee for enforcement. He clarified that the government has invested significantly in education to ensure every child has access to learning through programs like universal primary education and universal secondary education, supported by various vocational institutions providing knowledge and skills.
Kaswabuli also pointed out the irony of some parents claiming that education is expensive while they spend lavishly in bars, buying drinks for others, and indulging in extramarital affairs in lodges, ultimately contradicting their claims of financial hardship.
