Rubanda District Councilors Oppose Ministry’s Directive to Demote Head Teachers

A section of Rubanda District LC.5 Councilors has protested the Ministry of Education and Sports’ directive to demote head teachers whose schools performed poorly in the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).

The debate erupted during a District Council meeting on Monday as members discussed the February 2026 directive instructing District Chief Administrative Officers and District Education Officers to take disciplinary action against underperforming head teachers.

The nationwide crackdown targets poor PLE results, absenteeism, and weak supervision in Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools.

Rubanda District LC.5 Youth Councilor Wilfred Arinda questioned the fairness of the directive, arguing that some head teachers are unfairly blamed for managing underfunded schools with inadequate facilities.

“Even as the government, we have our own shortcomings, and we need to first consider whether we have provided these schools with all that they need before we talk about disciplining them,” he said.

Habuhutu-Mugyera Town Council LC.5 Councilor Adrine Tindenda emphasized that poor performance stems from multiple stakeholders, including parents, school management committees, the government, and the students themselves.

“Some parents force their children to stay home digging long after the official school opening day, and only send them to study several weeks later. How do you expect it to be the head teachers’ fault when such children don’t perform?” While acknowledging multiple causes of poor performance, LC.5 Chairperson Ampeire Stephen Kasyaba primarily attributed the problem to insufficient inspections.

His remarks were supported by District Speaker Mary Waguma, who reported that some head teachers were taking visitors’ books to inspectors’ offices or hotels in Kabale town, where the inspectors signed, indicating they had visited schools, even when they had not.

Ikumba Subcounty LC.5 Councilor Kenneth Muhindi admitted that some school heads had underperformed but opposed demotion. He proposed a policy requiring teachers to enroll their children in the schools where they are posted, arguing that teachers often neglect UPE schools while sending their own children to private institutions.

Hamuhambo Town Council LC.5 Councilor Diaz Owoyesigyire supported the Ministry’s directive, arguing that demoting poorly performing head teachers would improve overall results.

He cited neighbouring Kabale District, where 15 head teachers had already been demoted.Rubanda District CAO Samuel Nahabwe confirmed that seven teachers had been dismissed for habitual absenteeism, and several head teachers faced demotion for poor performance.

He added that names of underperforming head teachers had been forwarded to the District Service Commission with recommendations for demotion, dismissal, or early retirement.

Official figures show that out of 3,628 candidates who sat for the 2025 PLE in Rubanda District, only 270 scored Division 1, 264 were ungraded, and 74 missed exams. UNEB’s results released in January 2026 indicated that 77,080 candidates nationwide were ungraded, up from 64,251 in 2024.Failure rates were higher among girls, with 10.07% (42,580) failing to meet minimum standards compared to 8.97% (34,500) of boys. Students placed in Division U were advised to repeat Primary Seven before advancing.