In a recent meeting, members of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Sports expressed their frustration when all the invited ministers failed to attend. The meeting, which took place at the Victoria Serena Kigo Resort, was supposed to address various issues concerning the Ministry of Education.
The committee, chaired by Mr. John Twesigye Ntamuhiira, had planned to discuss important topics such as the National Teachers’ Policy, teacher training centers, and the government’s student loan scheme. However, none of the delegated junior ministers were present, leading to disappointment among the lawmakers.
Mr. Ntamuhiira openly voiced his disappointment and attempted to adjourn the meeting for 30 minutes in the hope that the ministers would arrive. Unfortunately, none of them showed up.
Mr. Twesigye expressed his frustration, saying, “The ministers who are supposed to be here are not here. It is, therefore, unfortunate that during the 30-minute break, none of the ministers could make it. It is the technical team that is here. By tomorrow, I hope that the issue of absence will not arise again.”
Several committee members, including Mr. Nathan Itungo and Mr. Godfrey Macho, shared the disappointment. Mr. Itungo said, “We thought this would be a good in-house meeting with our ministers to see how we can be guided and work with Parliament. On our side as members, we are disappointed that ministers and other heads are not interested in this meeting.”
Later, it was revealed through communication from the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Ms. Ketty Lamaro, that the State Minister for Education in charge of Sports, Mr. Peter Ogwang, was in Egypt, Mr. John Chrysostom Muyingo, in charge of Higher Education, was in Germany, and Ms. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, in charge of primary education, was out of town.
As a result of the ministers’ absence, Mr. Twesigye decided to reschedule the meeting for Wednesday, September 27. This incident highlights a recent trend of ministers failing to attend parliamentary meetings, causing disruptions in parliamentary business.