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CSOs in Bukedea Demand Accountability of Over UGX. 200M for EMIS Registration

The CSOs want the district to produce accountability of 234,969,000 Shillings collected by the schools during registration at the beginning of third term in 2022.
Bukedea CAO, Joseph Maira Mukasa. Courtesy Photo.

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Activists under their umbrella of Civil Society Organizations- CSOs in Bukedea district have raised concern over the monies levied on Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) registration. 

The CSOs want the district to produce accountability of 234,969,000 Shillings collected by the schools during registration at the beginning of third term in 2022.

Information in Bukedea indicates that each child in a primary school was charged 3,000 Shillings for registration through EMIS. The authorities claimed that the money was meant for photocopying the EMIS registration forms and taking passport photographs.

It’s further reported that the district authorities hired a contractor to carry out the exercise where a total of 78,323 pupils were entered into the system. But Pius Ekaba, an activist with Action Aid says that more than 8,000 pupils were not registered as their parents failed to raise the 3,000 Shillings.

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EMIS is a program introduced by the government to register all learners in schools by recording particulars of their parents and other details from the learners. The registration was carried out across the country under the National Identification Registration Authority- NIRA.

When contacted, Stephen Okurut, the district acting District Education Officer in Bukedea says that the decision to charge 3,000 Shillings per child for EMIS registration was a council resolution to enable the smooth running of the registration exercise.

“This was basically for the smooth running of the registration exercise and the money was managed in schools," Okurut said without justifying the cost levied for the exercise.

But Michael Ocan, the Kangole sub county chairperson told our reporter during an interview that he was not aware of any resolution to charge parents money for the EMIS registration. Ocan says that he was surprised when parents stormed his office, demanding explanations for the fees charged for the registration exercise.

“In my sub county, parents were charged money differently; some paid 3,000 Shillings and others were charged 3,500 Shillings and this forced most of the learners to drop out of school," said Ocan.

Santos Osekeny, the chairperson of CSOs in Bukedea district says that the money was illegally imposed on parents since the program was undertaken by the government. 

However, Hajji Imran Muluga, the resident district commissioner Bukedea said, the officers would be summoned and brought to book.