By Spy Uganda
Bunyangabu-Local Government minister Hon. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi has warned corrupt officials and “thieves” in Bunyangabu District to prepare for a showdown as he takes his anti-corruption crusade to the district this Thursday.
Balaam issued the warning Tuesday afternoon in a WhatsApp conversation with TheSpy Uganda’s chief Andrew Irumba, confirming he will be in Bunyangabu on Thursday for a public anti-corruption engagement at the Kibiito Primary School (PS) grounds, near the district headquarters.
“I’m coming to Bunyangabu District on Thursday, at Kibiito PS grounds. All thieves in the district should get worried. I have also been hearing this school fees saga at Buheesi SS, last time I wrote a letter to them in that effect, I want to follow up that issue myself when I arrive. It’s a big issue touching the future of very many children,” Balaam warned.
By Tuesday morning, Balaam’s public adroit system had already arrived at the Kibiito PS grounds signalling his movement.
The minister’s visit comes amid growing complaints from residents and parents over alleged misuse of public resources, poor service delivery and the financial burden placed on parents in government schools.
Among the issues Irumba raised with the minister was the situation at Buheesi Secondary School, where hundreds of vulnerable learners were reportedly unable to sit for end-of-term examinations after being sent away over unpaid illegal fees by gluttonous leadership at the school that’s more interested in the milk than the cow!🐄
According to information from the school records cited by the school Headmaster Mr Anelyn, Buheesi SS has 615 students. The government contribution is reportedly Shs55,000 (fifty-five thousand shillings) per student per term, up from about Shs22,000 (twenty-two thousand shillings) previously.
Based on 615 students, the government allocation amounts to approximately Shs33,825,000 (thirty-three million eight hundred twenty-five thousand shillings) per term, translating to Shs101,475,000 (one hundred one million four hundred seventy-five thousand shillings) annually, for three terms.
Parents are also reportedly contributing about Shs67,650,000 (sixty-seven million six hundred fifty thousand shillings) per term, or approximately Shs202,950,000 (two hundred two million nine hundred fifty thousand shillings) annually.
This puts the combined government and parent collections at approximately Shs101,475,000 (one hundred one million four hundred seventy-five thousand shillings) per term, and Shs304,425,000 (three hundred four million four hundred twenty-five thousand shillings) annually, before taking into account other collections which include charges relating to school uniforms, reams of paper, brooms, and other requirements.
The controversy, according to parents, is not only about the amount of money collected but also about whether the development and services at the school are commensurate with the funds being received.
”These people charge our parents money for lunch, but sometimes they don’t even give us that posho and beans, and when they do, it’s extremely little that they seem to be just trying justify the expenses,” a S4 student on condition of anonymity told our reporter last month.
Parents are particularly concerned that children from poor families are being denied access to examinations because they cannot raise fees and other charges.
They argue that this defeats the spirit of the government’s policy of promoting access to education and ensuring that children are not excluded from learning because of their parents’ financial circumstances.
Parents Turn to Balaam
Parents in Bunyangabu are now urging minister Balaam to use his Thursday crusade to investigate the fees regime in government schools across the district, especially Buheesi SS and Kibiito SS where boarding sections are even charged highly despite the fact that services are not even close to the charges.
in Kibiito, our Spy inside the school also alleged that sometimes holidays are made ‘compulsory’ in order for some stakeholders to make a kill. “You see, the teachers will tell you that they’re going to tackle some new topics during holidays and will not repeat the same during school days, so if you don’t attend means you will miss out. They will not tell you that it’s compulsory but they will make it hard for you to miss,” our Spy was told by students of Kibiito SS.
Parents now want the minister to establish what government schools are allowed to charge, how much money is collected from parents, who authorises the charges and how the money is ultimately accounted for.
They also want the minister to establish why learners can be sent away from school or prevented from sitting examinations over unpaid illegal charges, particularly where the schools are receiving government funding.
The Buheesi SS complaints add to a wider national debate over illegal charges in government-aided schools, where parents often find themselves paying multiple fees and levies despite government interventions intended to reduce the financial barriers to education.
Balaam’s anti-corruption crusade has increasingly focused on taking complaints directly to communities and challenging local leaders and public officials over alleged misuse of public resources and poor service delivery.
His Bunyangabu visit is therefore expected to attract residents, parents, local leaders and other stakeholders who have grievances concerning public services.
For parents at Buheesi SS, the expectation is clear: that the minister will go beyond the rhetoric and establish the truth about the money being collected, the school’s expenditures and why poor children allegedly missed their examinations.
The minister’s warning to alleged thieves in Bunyangabu has consequently raised expectations that Thursday’s engagement could become a major test of accountability in the district.
our Spies have been on ground for weeks, see you in a bit….
