By AL-AMAHDI SSENKABIRWA

Posted  Monday, November 5  2012 at  02:00

How districts are feeding their pupils

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Studying on an empty stomach is the hardest experience any school going child should not go through .But hundreds of thousands of them, especially those under the free education programme live with this problem –which has adversely affected their concentration in class and consequently their academic performance.

To reverse this trend, some districts have come up with by-laws compelling parents to contribute some little money to cater for their children’s lunch and one of them is Tororo district .But this seems to contravene a presidential directive banning the practice in all primary schools implementing the free education programme.

President Museveni has on numerous occasions warned school heads against charging extra fees to provide lunch at school -insisting that pupils have to carry packed food since government pays for their fees. Mr Museveni maintains that the practice undermines the free education government programme because it increases school dropout since many parents cannot afford the extra charges.

But Mr Emmanuel Osuna, the Tororo District chairman says they have built consensus with parents in the area and are ready to support the initiative .The same applies to Mpigi where parents are willing to pay Shs500 for their children’s feeding, according to the district chairman John Luwakanya.

“The president is not against the idea of giving pupils lunch at school but is simply unhappy with some head teachers who turn it into a money minting venture.” says Mr Osuna.
The presidential directive issued three years ago followed numerous complaints from parents accusing head teachers of demanding extra fees and when they fail to comply their children are chased from school. But Mr Osuna says parents are required to provide 6kgs of maize seeds and Shs 1000 for processing maize flour , paying the cook and firewood.

“We are not preventing any child from accessing the classroom but we want to ensure that parents do something for the well- being of their children at school,” he says
Mr Osuna says free education as stated does not mean that parents stop playing their roles as parents.

“It is indeed our responsibility as local leaders and other stake holders to help government in sensitising parents about the components of free education,” he says
However, he says some unscrupulous head teachers in Nabuyoga sub country had started sabotaging the project by selling maize seeds provided by the parents.“ We have already identified them and the long hand of the law is going to find them, he adds.

State Minister for Primary Education Dr Kamanda Bataringaya says the ministry has no problem with parents agreeing with schools to feed their children. “The contest has always been on contributing cash but if parents agree to provide real food, that is a good step and we shall support it,” he says.

A parliamentary sectoral committee on education recently recommended to government to compel local governments create enforce by-laws which require parents to provide meals for their children .According to Section 5(2) of Education Act 2008, parents have a duty of feeding their children at school.

The committee noted that lack of a clear feeding programme in UPE schools had negatively impacted on the scheme, causing massive drop-outs and absenteeism. This corroborates with figures from Mpigi District where dropout rates stand at 65 percent for boys and 59 percent for girls’ .Only 35 percent of boys in the district complete Primary Seven while girls are 41 percent.

Education minister Jessica Alupo says Cabinet had already approved three ways through which pupils will be helped get lunch at school. These include; allowing parents in urban areas to pay cash for meals to a sum agreed by school management, board of governors and the parent’s teacher associations. For parents in rural areas, according to Ms Alupo cabinet recommended that contributions be made in kind.

assenkabirwa@uganda.nationmedia.com

Accessed on Monday 5, Nov 2012 from the Daily Monitor: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/Education/How+districts+are+feeding+their+pupils/-/688336/1611416/-/wn0rim/-/index.html