Kazo District Workers’ Councillor Mugabe Alex Kayabuki has called for a stronger and more transparent fight against corruption in schools, saying efforts to protect public resources must be pursued without undermining the dignity of teachers.

Kayabuki, who is also the NRM secretary-general in Kazo District, said corruption in the education sector should not be tolerated because it diverts resources meant to improve learning and deprives children of opportunities to build better lives.

He, however, cautioned authorities against turning the fight against corruption into public humiliation of teachers, saying accountability must be accompanied by fairness and respect for educators.

“Fighting corruption in schools is necessary and right. But when that fight is turned into a spectacle that strips teachers of dignity, it does not clean the system. It weakens morale, drives good people out of the profession and lowers the very sector we claim to be protecting,” Kayabuki said.

He made the remarks on Teachers’ Day while reflecting on the challenges facing Uganda’s education sector and the role teachers have played in shaping his own life.

Kayabuki said he started school at Akabare Church School in Kyenshebashebe at the age of two, when he could neither write nor construct a sentence in English.

He said one of his teachers personally guided him until he was able to write his name correctly, before he later joined Ntambazi Primary School, where he said the foundation of his education was laid.

“Many of us are who we are because one teacher picked up a piece of chalk and chose to spend their knowledge on a child who had nothing else to offer,” he said.

Kayabuki said the contribution of teachers should therefore be recognised even as government and education authorities strengthen measures to curb corruption and improve accountability in schools.

He argued that fighting corruption should focus on protecting public resources and ensuring that money and other materials allocated to schools actually benefit learners.

He said teachers should not, however, be made scapegoats for structural challenges such as inadequate funding, staffing shortages and insufficient learning materials.

“Accountability and respect can stand together,” he said.

Kayabuki also questioned the adequacy of government funding for primary schools, saying the resources available to many institutions are insufficient to meet their basic operational needs.

He said the annual UPE capitation grant of about Shs20,000 per child is inadequate to cater for essential requirements such as instructional materials, classroom maintenance and other school needs.

He further said widespread teacher shortages were making it difficult for schools to deliver quality education, with many government schools operating below their approved staffing levels.

At Ntambazi Primary School, Mr Kayabuki said, only nine government teachers are on the payroll against an estimated requirement of about 37.

He said the staffing gap has forced parents to contribute through PTA arrangements, hire additional licensed teachers and finance remedial lessons to keep learning going.

Kayabuki said such arrangements demonstrate the need for government to address both corruption and systemic weaknesses affecting the education sector.

He called for stronger financial accountability in schools, arguing that every shilling allocated to education should be traceable and used for its intended purpose.

He also urged government to increase the UPE capitation grant and release it on time, fund the education wage bill adequately and recruit teachers according to approved staffing structures, particularly in understaffed rural schools.

Kayabuki further urged authorities to treat PTA contributions as a temporary measure rather than allowing them to become a permanent substitute for government funding.

He said teachers should be held accountable where evidence of wrongdoing exists, but should also receive the pay, resources and professional respect necessary to perform their duties effectively.