Nakaseke and Luweero districts have withheld capitation grants of 56 schools due to inconsistencies in the enrollment data of pupils under Universal Primary Education (UPE).
In April last year, the Ministry of Education and Sports introduced the re-developed Education Management Information System (EMIS) in both public and private institutions at all levels of learning.
The system was implemented to capture learner data, facilitating performance tracking and enhancing data management in the education sector. The EMIS replaced headcounts in public schools, and since then, head teachers have been instructed to ensure that all learners are registered on the portal.
However, by the end of 2023, the number of learners registered on the EMIS portal in 30 UPE schools in Luwero and 26 schools in Nakaseke district was fewer than required for reporting to the Ministry of Education and Sports. This led the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ms.Ketty Lamaro, to direct the Chief Administrative Officers to withhold capitation grants for these schools until they provide explanations for the discrepancies.
Some of the affected UPE schools in Luweero district include Kisaze, Kibanyi, Wobulenzi Public, Kasana UMEA, Buyuki RC, and Bwaziba Primary School, among others.
Erastus Kibirango, the LC 5 Chairman of Luweero district, stated that the Chief Administrative Officer has already communicated with the headteachers of the affected schools, instructing them to clarify the enrollment data inconsistencies before the funds are released.
Kibirango added that if the headteachers fail to provide satisfactory explanations, the district will only release capitation grants for pupils registered in the system.
“It was intended for government to ascertain that the number of students who were earlier recorded do exist. If we find it is less, of course the money can be released after this information has been provided,” Kibirango said.
In response to the situation, Hajji Yusuf Kamulegeya, the Luwero District Inspector of Schools, reported that he has met with the headteachers of the affected schools, where they defended themselves regarding the data inconsistencies. Some attributed the discrepancies to internet network failures, frustrations by private service providers, and a lack of computer knowledge required to upload all learners to the EMIS portal.
However, Ignatius Koomu, the LC 5 Chairman of Nakaseke district, insisted that head teachers of the affected schools must explain whether they inflated earlier enrollment data to fraudulently obtain capitation grants from the government, he highlighted the issue of ghost learners contributing to the listed dropout rates, emphasizing the need to determine whether the missing learners on the EMIS portal existed.
