Lurambi Member of Parliament (MP) Titus Khamala has vowed to introduce a Bill in the National Assembly seeking the gradual abolition of all boarding schools across the country, calling the current system a breeding ground for student unrest and a failure of parental responsibility.
Khamala argues that parents have increasingly abandoned their responsibilities while schools struggle with overcrowding, inadequate facilities and mounting discipline challenges.
Speaking during the official handover of a new storey building constructed using Lurambi National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) at St. Andrew Kaagwa Primary School in his constituency; Khamala said boarding schools should be abolished immediately.
“We have trouble in our schools. Parents should take up their roles and advise their children. In developed countries, including America and Europe, there are no boarding schools. Children learn and go back home,” the legislator stated.
The law maker attributed part of the problem to overstretched infrastructure in boarding institutions. “Many of those schools’ facilities do not warrant good habitation of learners. They live like rats. They are sleeping in dining halls and corridors. We should encourage students to learn and return home so parents can play their role in raising children,” he said.
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The MP said the proposed legislation would redirect national education resources toward upgrading local day schools and ensuring equitable distribution of infrastructure and staffing across all institutions, rather than concentrating funding in a handful of elite boarding schools.
Khamala also blamed student unrest on what he described as inhumane school principals who mistreat students, creating friction that escalates into strikes. He further called on teachers to allow students to express their concerns as a measure to avert unrest.
The legislative push comes amid a wave of student unrest and dormitory fires that have rocked schools across the country in recent weeks, including the fire at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School that sparked widespread parliamentary debate on the state of boarding institutions.
Despite the concerns raised, supporters of boarding schools maintain that they provide safe and stable learning environments for vulnerable children, including orphans and learners rescued from abusive homes, early marriages and domestic violence.
Critics of Khamala’s proposal are expected to argue that abolishing boarding schools would disadvantage students from marginalized and remote areas where daily commuting is not feasible.
By Benedict Aoya
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