Nicholas A
Primary school authorities and local leaders in Rushenyi County, Ntungamo District, have expressed concerns about the issue of understaffing, which they believe is negatively impacting education standards in their area.
During a meeting held at Mayor’s Gardens in Rubare Town Council, Ntungamo District, yesterday, attended by Rushenyi County leaders and school administrators, the head teacher of Nyakarambi Primary School in Rugarama Sub County, Mrs. Keti Tusasiibwe, highlighted the challenge of inadequate staffing at her school. She emphasized that with an enrollment of 650 students, the school only has four teachers, including herself, which is insufficient to meet the educational needs effectively.
Similarly, Amanya Ivan Rwanyakibare, the Chairperson of Rugarama North Sub County, noted that the problem of understaffing extends beyond Rugarama Sub County to his own area. He cited the example of Ruhega Primary School, where only two government teachers are catering to a large number of pupils, following the retirement and transfer of several teachers.
Rwanyakibare stressed that this shortage of teachers hampers the schools’ ability to compete nationally and called upon the government to allocate more teachers to Rushenyi County.
Responding to these concerns, Bahati Fred, the Education Officer of Ntungamo District, acknowledged that understaffing is a widespread issue in the district due to recent teacher retirements and a government ban on teacher recruitment. He assured the attendees that efforts are underway to address the problem.
Naome Kabasharira, the Member of Parliament for Rushenyi area, who was the guest of honor at the meeting and rewarded top-performing candidates from government schools, suggested that parents could help alleviate the staffing issue by supporting their schools financially. She emphasized that the lack of teachers is just one aspect of the challenges faced by schools, which also require support for infrastructure and other needs. Kabasharira proposed that with parental contributions, additional private teachers could be hired alongside government staff.
