Zombo set tough rules in new education ordinance

By Mike Rwothomio

In a bid to streamline education, the Zombo District local government has extensively embarked on the process of formulating The Zombo district education ordinance bill 2023. #WhisperEyeNews

An ordinance is a local law. Usually, ordinances forbid or restrict some activity. Districts, Counties or Municipal governments can pass ordinances on matters that the state government allows to be regulated at the local level.

The regulation carries the state’s authority and has the same effect as a state statute,  according to the legal information institute website.

The education ordinance bill that it’s process started in November last year, seeks to address the high dropout rate, child labour, support the needy and bright children, and regulate night movements of young ones and discos amongst others as explained by the Zombo district secretary of social services Tom Orwodhi, who appealed for the speedy processing of the bill.

Orwodhi said “Any person who contravenes the provisions of this ordinance shall be liable to a fine and this shall be a source of revenue for the council” He added that under the Zombo district sponsorship or education fund, the needy but bright children will be identified and supported to access better secondary, tertiary and university education.

The bill entails a raft of solutions to challenges affecting education and also punitive measures against acts that impede standard education right from the grassroots level.

Zombo district annually tails in academic performance. This is attributed to a myriad of factors occasioned by negligence of parents, learners, teachers and leaders that the leaders believe the bill if passed into law shall address.

However, the process of the bill might take a donkey years to come into full force given the high level of red tape it needs to get through. 

The bill that was on the 21st of this month brought to the district council for the second reading hit a snag, after the invited magistrate upon perusing through some contents in the bill advised that the council form a committee to scrutinize it on grounds  that it’s the duplication of most laws in the Uganda constitution like the labour law, children act Amongst others.

Education policies adopted by the Ministry of Education and Sports Advocate for the provision of facilities and resources to enable every child to enter school, ensure the completion of the primary cycle of education and make education equitable in order to eliminate disparities and inequalities Among other factors. These policies are still having a gaping hole in rural settings given the negative mindset of people towards education.

The education ordinance if passed will be the first of its kind since the district’s inception in 2011.

The LCV chairperson of Zombo district James Oruna Oyullu says a committee has been formed to scrutinize the bill as advised.

He added that notwithstanding some hiccups, it’s worth noting that they are moving in a positive direction thanks to the work of the technocrats and some district Councillors.

” Today is our first council sitting which was deferred due to some technicalities, we are looking forward to following the right procedures so that we come out with the right education ordinance, Therefore, I am requesting our technocrats and committee to sit down and discuss it in depth,” Oyullu said.

The council speaker of Zombo district local government Hassan Ringtho has told the Whisper Eye News that ” The standard rules of procedures for local governments in Uganda provide for a committee of the specific sector to go and review, so we have deferred back the ordinance to the education committee for further scrutiny”.

Francis Bolingo the district councillor of Athuma sub-county who sits in the committee of social services, has blamed the district technocrats in charge of the bill for being ” so negligent and relaxed about the ordinance”.

He tasked the Zombo district LCV chairperson to keenly follow most technocrats that he says are not concerned about the development of Zombo.

The Chairperson social services committee and the women’s Councillor for Warr sub-county and town council Gloria Mungungeyo have equally blamed the chief administrative officer of Zombo for the delayed process of the Ordinance.

She added that a committee was instituted last year to scrutinize the bill with guidance from legal brains but nothing has yielded.

A recent study by LICO Uganda, a C.B.O in Zombo district Indicates that over 60% of youth in the district hardly read.