Lawmakers have expressed concerns about the delay in deploying over 2,000 teachers who were recently recruited by the Ministry of Education. The issue was raised during the plenary sitting on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.
Paska Aciro, the Independent District Woman Representative of Pader, brought this matter to the attention of the assembly. She revealed that a senior education official had informed her during a recent Teachers’ Day celebration that some of the teachers recruited in July of this year had not been assigned to schools. Aciro emphasized the importance of providing education to children and expressed her belief that the unassigned teachers were hindering this.
Dr. Joyce Moriku, the Minister of State for Education and Sports (Primary Education), attributed the shortage of teachers in schools to budget shortfalls. She explained that the budget allocated for teacher deployment was 50 billion shillings, but the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development had released only 32 billion shillings, resulting in an 18 billion shilling shortfall.
Moriku provided further details, stating that during the last fiscal year, her ministry had recruited over 5,000 staff, out of which more than 3,000 were teaching staff. While the majority of them had been deployed, nearly 2,000 teaching and non-teaching staff remained unassigned. She emphasized the need for adequate funding from the finance ministry to deploy all the teachers her ministry had recruited.
Felix Okot Ogong, a representative from Dokolo South County, pointed out that three schools in his constituency, including Kwera, Kangai, and St. John Secondary School, were grappling with the same problem. He expressed his concern that students were paying school fees without having teachers, which could jeopardize their future and the country’s future.
Henry Musasizi, the Minister of State for Finance, Planning, and Economic Development (General Duties), requested more time to coordinate with the education ministry, indicating a willingness to release the allocated funds but needing time for proper coordination.
Enos Asiimwe, a representative from Kabula County, called for a comprehensive statement on the status of the education sector to address the shared challenges.
Kampala Central Division Member of Parliament, Hon. Muhammad Nsereko, urged the ministers to clearly identify the areas with shortages, ensuring that these issues would be addressed during the budget appropriation.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa directed the two ministers to hold an inter-ministerial meeting and report back to the House on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.
