Ministry Of Edu On Spot Over Mbale School of Deaf

The Parliamentary Committee of Education and Sports has faulted the Ministry of Education for mismanaging Mbale School of the Deaf after the Commissioner of Special Needs Education was implicated in the report of the Equal Opportunities Commission for fueling conflicts in the school. The committee has directed for a halt of the transfer of the Headteacher until the probe is done.

Mbale School of the Deaf has long been in the news over administrative challenges and the matter has been investigated by the parliament’s Committee of Education and Sports. This special school for the deaf was turned into an inclusive institution which is of concern to the community.

Appearing before the committee today, the minister of state for higher education Dr. John C Muyingo read to MPs an investigation report of the Equal Opportunities Commission which probed the matter; implicating the commissioner of special needs education Sarah Bugosi Kiboli, and the former chairperson of Board of Governors for fueling conflicts.

Lawmakers who visited the school also accused Commissioner Kiboli of fueling divisions among the school staff which resulted in gross mismanagement of the school.

MPs then turned to the minister and grilled him on why he has not taken any action against staff at the ministry who have been engineering conflicts in this school with an alleged intention of taking control over funding coming to this school from donors

The committee was shocked to learn that before they could conclude the probe, the ministry had gone ahead to transfer the head teacher Sister Rose Nelima, who has made significant development in the school that has attracted funding from development partners.

The school has since been suffering from issues of loss of learners and teachers, forged registers by the headmistress that reflect an inflated number of students to attract more capitation grants received in the school which is also squandered, and corruption among others. But MPs directed the Ministry of Education to halt the transfer of the head teacher.