Rwebisengo Secondary School in Ntoroko District is facing a critical shortage of teaching staff, forcing parents to shoulder the cost of employing additional teachers to keep learning uninterrupted.
The concern was raised by the school’s head teacher, Samuel Agaba Kasigazi, during a meeting that brought together district leaders, the school administration and parents.
Kasigazi revealed that the school has an enrolment of 1,022 students but only nine teachers on the government payroll, resulting in an overwhelming teacher-to-student ratio that has negatively affected the quality of teaching and learning.
To sustain classroom instruction, the school management has recruited 29 additional teachers under the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) arrangement. He said the PTA teachers collectively earn more than 15 million Shillings every month, with the salary bill largely financed by parents.
The Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Patrick Kawamara, said the financial burden of paying PTA teachers has become increasingly difficult for parents, many of whom are already struggling to meet other education-related expenses.
Similarly, the PTA Chairperson, Willy Muntu, appealed to the Ministry of Education and Sports to urgently increase the school’s teacher establishment to reflect its growing enrolment.
Muntu warned that unless more teachers are deployed, the staffing shortage will continue to compromise the quality of education and could adversely affect learners’ academic performance.
Responding to the concerns, Ntoroko County Member of Parliament Edson Rugumayo acknowledged the staffing crisis and pledged to raise the matter on the floor of Parliament.
He said he would engage the Ministry of Education and Sports to push for the deployment of additional teachers to Rwebisengo Secondary School under the government payroll-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
