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The LC3 Chairperson of Kyamuhunga Sub-county, blamed the growing dropout rates on tea plantation owners who employ school-going children as casual labourers during school hours
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By Our Reporter
Bushenyi — The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Bushenyi, Emmy Ngabirano, and other local leaders have expressed concern over the declining enrolment in government-aided schools, blaming it on poor supervision, child labour in tea plantations, and the misuse of government education resources.
While monitoring primary schools in Kyabugimbi Town Council and Kyabugimbi Sub-county, Ngabirano noted that enrolment in public schools is dropping despite the government’s continued investment in education — a trend that threatens to derail efforts to improve learning outcomes in rural areas.
He further revealed that some headteachers are inflating enrolment figures in order to fraudulently attract higher capitation grants from the government.
“It is unfortunate that some schools are manipulating enrolment figures just to receive more money. This is theft of public funds, and it must stop,” Ngabirano warned.
The RDC pointed out that the government provides capitation grants, learning materials, infrastructure support, teacher salaries, and even school feeding programs in some schools — resources that must be used transparently and in the best interest of learners.
During his inspection, Ngabirano visited four primary schools, all of which showed discrepancies between their actual enrolment and the numbers submitted to the Ministry of Education. He described the practice as a serious misuse of government resources.
He also expressed disappointment that some headteachers have abandoned classroom teaching, choosing to focus solely on administrative roles.
“Being a headteacher does not mean you stop teaching. You must lead by example. If you can’t handle even one or two lessons, how do you expect your staff to be committed?” he asked.
Ngabirano urged school management committees and parents to take responsibility for their schools by offering supervision and mobilizing community support to restore public confidence in government education.
“The community must take charge. Parents, teachers, and leaders should come together to uplift their schools. These institutions belong to all of us,” he added.
The RDC toured the following schools:
Despite their low enrolment, all the schools had received capitation grants based on inflated figures.
Tea blamed for rising pupil dropouts
Adolf Kanyomozi, the LC3 Chairperson of Kyamuhunga Sub-county, blamed the growing dropout rates on tea plantation owners who employ school-going children as casual labourers during school hours.
“Tea plantation owners are partly responsible for this crisis. They should stop using schoolchildren as cheap labour,” Kanyomozi said.
According to district education officials, the sub-counties of Kyamuhunga, Kyamuhunga Town Council, Kyabugimbi, Ruhumuro, and Bitooma have recorded some of the highest school dropout rates in Bushenyi District — largely due to child labour and limited parental engagement.
