Education: Why UPC says “3rd term begins amid hard times”

Kampala | Addressing the party’s weekly press conference at Uganda House in Kampala on Wednesday, UPC spokeperson Arach Oyat Sharon discussed the challenges ahead of the busy third term calendar.

School begins nationwide on September 15, 2024, and Arach predicts that parents and guardians will return their children to school for the third term.

This (third term) is coming against the backdrop of difficult times for the majority of our families as a result of harsh socioeconomic conditions, she stated.

“UPC has noted that a good number of parents are still struggling to clear school fees balances accruing from 1st term. Considering this in mind, the party would like to draw the attention of school authorities to appreciate the economic situation at hand and kindly allow parents to clear their children’s dues in instalments.”

According to the party, this is done “purposefully to facilitate high concentration of students while at school because the third term is a key term for Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) examinations and promotion of students to other classes.”

“Equally, we appeal to parents to strive and meet their obligations.”

The Akena-led UPC told the press that they are well aware that there is a lot to cover from the school syllabus before our students sit for their end-of-year exams. “This demands for a collective effort, total focus and commitment at all levels.

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“Good performance that is sustainable which comes through hard work, organisation, close supervision and monitoring. UPC invites both government and school authorities to appreciate that an effective education system needs to be well resourced.”

The Kampala Road-based party demanded that the Ministry of Education and Sports make sure that schools across the nation have an adequate supply of instructional materials, such as textbooks and visual aids.

“By now, schools shouldn’t be still suffering from the issue of text book – student/pupil ratio as well as teacher – student/pupil ratio at our watch, which is a recipe for failure!”

According to Arach, government and private schools must have adequate teaching and non-teaching staff. “We have, in the recent past suffered fire outbreaks at schools with registered loss of lives and property. The schools and other learning institutions need to be well secured with fire detectors and thunder deflectors.”

The police and fire departments should be on alert to respond in an emergency, particularly in cases of school fires, and these institutions should be routinely inspected to ensure the safety of our schools.

Scholastic material service providers are urged not to irrationally raise the prices of products such as books, sets, pens, uniforms and shoes, among others, during this material hour, as has been a common practice when students return to school.