The Sunday Mail
Norman Muchemwa
Government has instructed schools to ignore an earlier directive to merge School Development Association accounts (levy) with the School Services Fund (tuition fees) amid indications the previously communicated position is illegal.
Former Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora had ordered schools to merge the accounts for accountability purposes, but the new system was alleged to have created loopholes for funds abuse.
Most schools that took heed of the directive saw school heads, their deputies and senior teachers being signatories to the account while neglecting SDA chairpersons and other independent members close to the affairs of the schools.
However, The Sunday Mail has gathered that Dr Dokora’s move violated Statutory Instrument S87 of 1992 that provides for the separation of the accounts for transparency in how the levies are used and what chunk goes to Government. Reads part of the Statutory Instrument: “The levy shall be handled by committees selected by parents, SDC and the school head, deputy head and the senior teacher would also form part. An annual general meeting should be held where the committee of parents (SDC) must report to other parents how they have been running the affairs of the school.”
