RUKIGA – School headteachers have been advised to refrain from directly handling funds raised by School Management Committees (SMCs) for school development, as this practice is prohibited under the Ministry of Education and Sports policy.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The guidance was issued by Rukiga District Speaker Oscar Akampurira during the release of the 2026 District Primary Mock Examination results, held at the District Rukiko Hall on Tuesday.
Speaker Akampurira cautioned that headteachers must not collect or manage additional funds raised by SMCs for Schools development, as such involvement violates ministry policy and exposes them to legal risk.
He advised school heads to step back from all financial matters, leaving them entirely to the board’s oversight, while ensuring that every agreed-upon process is meticulously documented to guarantee transparency and accountability.
Cue in: Speaker Oscar on School dues. RR/ENG
The Speaker also warmly praised Rukiga’s encouraging academic progress, observing that this year’s just-released mock results reflected a commendable rise in first-grade candidates compared to the previous examination cycle.
Cue in: Speaker Oscar on Mock Results. RR/ENG
Rukiga District Education Officer Ndyabegyera Christopher confirmed that SMCs, parents, and school administrations regularly convene to agree on a common development agenda for their schools.
He further explained that these committees follow proper procedures for collecting, keeping, and utilizing funds when needs arise, emphasizing that strict adherence to such protocols ensures transparency and accountability.
Cue in: DEO on School dues. RR/ENG
Representing the District Chairperson as guest of honour, Vice Chairperson Manigamukama Linus raised concerns that teacher absenteeism has contributed to increased school dropouts, as pupils often find no teachers in classrooms.
Manigamukama announced that the new district leadership plans to enforce teacher presence in schools, with strict accountability measures for any staff found absent without justification.
Cue in: Linus leadership plans. RR
LC V Councilor and Secretary of Finance Niwagaba Jorum applauded the examination results while urging teachers to urgently address absenteeism, which he described as a major factor drastically crippling school performance.
He revealed that recent unannounced school visits had uncovered absent teachers in several institutions, and warned that such monitoring exercises would be expanded to root out the vice and drive academic improvement.
Cue in: Jorum on Absenteeism. ENG/RR
Meanwhile, the 2026 District Mock Examination results have revealed a significant performance disparity between government-aided and private primary schools, with private institutions dominating the top tier.
According to official results released by the District Education Office on August 25, 2026, only 4.4% of the 2,504 candidates who sat for the examinations achieved Division I. Of these 110 top performers, just 15 came from government-aided schools, while the remaining 95 were from private primary schools.
A total of 93 schools participated in the examinations, 71 government-aided and 22 private. The results also showed that 1,209 candidates (48.3%) fell into Division U, a category indicating performance below the passing threshold, raising concerns among education stakeholders.
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