Following a decision by the Ministry of Education and Sports to carry out a nationwide crackdown on schools which lack the requisite operational standards, authorities in Nansana Municipal Council have summoned all primary school and nursery proprietors and heads for talks.
The meeting was organised by the Youth Councillor for Nansana westward Zone Mr Stephen Brian Kaggo and attended by among others the Nansana Division Mayor Hamidu Nsubuga Kizito, the area Inspector of schools Fred Katongole and other local leaders.
The Mayor Nansana Division Mr. Nsubuga Hamidu Kizito cautioned the school heads to fulfill all their obligations to enable the authorities to deliver services.
“We are a local government, collecting taxes helps us in service delivery since the money we receive from government is used to clear up salaries,” he said.
Mr Kizito also advised the school proprietors and heads to keep proper books of accounts, before detailing the different types of taxes levied by the municipality.
“Besides the revenue charges, you are tasked to pay operational licence charges for the business, local service tax paid for employees annually, medical examination tax, property tax for owners of buildings and sign post tax,” he noted.
On his part the Nansana Inspector of Schools Mr Katongole said the ministry would not hesitate to close all schools which do not have the minimum requirements of operation, advising the school heads to scrutinize the Education Act of 2008.
“This will help them know all that is required for a school to deliver the said service,” Mr Katongole said. He also advised the director of schools to mind the names they accord to their school to avoid being charged excessively when they use names like ‘academy’, ‘demonstration school’, ‘nursery and primary’ yet they do not possess all the attributes of those names.
Other speakers included the town Agent Mr John Sebulime, who represented the town clerk; Reverend James Kikomeko of Nansana COU Parish and Stephen Kaggo, the youth councillor, who urged the school heads to be more creative while delivering education services.
