Kabalore district inspectorate of schools is inefficient despite the allocation of large sums of money to the department. Every financial year, Kabalore school inspectorate department receive shillings 400 million for its work.
The inspectorate is expected to monitor the quality of education and report to the district council on the status of schools on issues of performance, sanitation, teacher and pupil absenteeism. However, the inspectors are not performing their role, which has resulted into some schools missing out on assistance from organizations willing to support schools in the district.
Last month, the inspectors were faltered in a report compiled by Save the Children, on Sanitation in schools in the district. The inspectors were accused of failing to provide information needed to help provide sanitation facilities in 50 schools in the district.
At Kisomoro Primary School, Solomon Rugaju the head teacher says that since April last year, no inspector has visited the school. Rugaju says that even when the inspectors are invited to attend the school management committee meetings, they fail to turn up.
Rugaju says that inspection of schools is now being done by concerned parents who present their findings to the district education department.
//Cue in: “parents can’t do it alone…”
Cue out: “…it is a very big problem.”//
Geoffrey Baguma, the chairperson Parents Teachers Association (PTA) says that the inspectors only turn up when a government official or the area Member of Parliament is visiting the school. Baguma says that some teachers have taken advantage of the lack of inspectors to dodge classes, which has resulted to poor performance in schools.
Last week, the acting Chief Administrative Officer, Peter Bagambaki threatened to suspend Richard Asaba, the acting district inspector of schools for failing to present a report to the district council concerning the activities of the inspectorate.
When contacted, Asaba admitted that there is laxity by the school inspectors but declined to reveal what the reasons could be. Chris Balinda, the district education officer says that the inspectors in the district have been summoned for a meeting to address the matter.
In a report by the Auditor General's office on the inspection of primary schools, which covers the financial years (2005/06 to 2007/08), it indicates the Education Ministry is not carrying out adequate inspections of primary schools to ensure quality learning delivery.
According to the report, inconsistent visits by inspectors to schools are one of the leading contributors to the increasingly high failure rates in primary schools.
