The Ministry of Education and Sports has ordered the immediate closure of Masindi Academy Secondary School in Masindi Municipality after a joint inspection uncovered serious violations of education standards and concerns over the welfare of learners.
The decision followed an inspection by officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports and Masindi Municipal Council, which revealed several irregularities, including the school’s failure to register 46 Senior Four candidates for the 2026 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations despite students having paid the required registration fees.
Inspectors also found that the school was operating with only three teachers, while the Director of Studies was serving as the acting headteacher. The boarding section was operating illegally without qualified caretakers, and sanitation conditions were described as deplorable, with overflowing pit latrines posing a health risk to learners. The school’s food store was also found empty.
The inspection further established that the affected Senior Four candidates had been unable to participate in mock examinations organised by neighbouring schools because they had not been issued with Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) index numbers. Following the findings, the inspection team ordered the immediate closure of the school.
School management has been directed to register all the affected Senior Four candidates within one week, after which the students will be transferred to other schools to ensure they are able to sit their UCE examinations.
Peter Samuel Ayebale, the Principal Education Officer for Masindi Municipality, confirmed the development in an interview with Uganda Radio Network (URN), saying the inspection uncovered numerous irregularities that left the authorities with no option but to shut down the institution. He added that many teachers had gone for months without receiving their salaries, forcing several of them to abandon teaching duties.
Francis Kyamanywa, a Senior Inspector of Schools in the Directorate of Education Standards at the Ministry of Education and Sports, said the ministry could not allow the institution to continue operating under the prevailing conditions and that it would only be reopened after all the identified irregularities had been fully addressed.
Kyamanywa warned that the school’s management could face legal action if the anomalies are not corrected within the stipulated period.
Patricia Aber, one of the affected Senior Four candidates, said the students are uncertain about their future after repeatedly receiving conflicting information from the school administration regarding their UCE registration. Another candidate, Josephat Masereka, said he fears that four years of study could go to waste.
“It is painful to study for four years only to face disappointment at the last minute. We have repeatedly asked the school director to tell us the truth, but he keeps assuring us that we have been registered without providing any proof. We want the ministry to intervene and save our future,” he said.
Sean Paul Okot, a former student who completed Senior Six at the school last year, said he has spent the past month at the school trying to obtain his examination results, but the directors have yet to release them.
A teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said members of staff are equally worried because they have not received any official confirmation that the Senior Four candidates were successfully registered for this year’s UCE examinations-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
