The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Apac, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Authorities of Ibuje Secondary School in Apac District have dismissed Joel Patrick Odiyo, the school head teacher over alleged incompetency and gross mismanagement of public funds.
The Board of Governors and members of the Parents’ and Teachers’ Association (PTA) made the decision at an emergency joint PTA and Board Meeting held at the school on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Apac District Education Officer Bosco Elyak on behalf of Apac Chief Administrative Officer.
According to the Chairman PTA’s petition dated December 30, 2024, addressed to Apac District Education Officer, Odiyo is being accused of failing to organize termly Executive Meetings, failure to disclose termly PTA Collections, quarterly grants and donations, failure to implement PTA Executives and staff resolutions.
Other allegations include; failure to pay arrears of PTA Staff amounting to an accumulated five months, late payment of PTA-paid teaching staff and non-teaching staff, discriminative pay to employees, deliberate lack of responses to staff grievances, failure to attend to crucial issues like power blackout by UMEME and gross communication gaps, among other allegations.
Alfred Jawaso Engim, the Chairman of PTA of Ibuje Secondary School, who is also the LCIII Chairman of Ibuje town council said that Odiyo failed to implement the PTA resolutions, something he said is retarding the development of the school.
Engim cita ed lack of capital development projects at the school yet parents contributed over 40 bags of cement for the same, lack of transparency and accountability and low enrolment of students to less than 300 from senior one to senior six.
Alex Nixon Adupa, the Chairman Board of Governors of Ibuje Secondary School accused Odiyo of deliberately suffocating the function of the Board and its organs by withholding facilitation for the meeting, failing to implement all virtual board resolutions, failing to declare school revenue including authorized transactions with Sadeem Al-Kuwait Company, where it is alleged that the head teacher received an undisclosed amount of money as compensation for part of the school land affected by Rwenkunye-Masindi Port, Apac, Lira-Puranga Road Construction.
He said Odiyo is incompetent and insubordinate to take development to the school.
Apac District Education Officer Bosco Elyak expressed disappointment with Odiyo, whom he said has been spending 6 million shillings PTA Development Fund to pay the 11 non-teaching staff at the school, in addition to the 21 teachers on the government payroll.
He appealed to all the parents and the stakeholders to join hands in rebuilding Ibuje secondary school.
But Odiyo denied all allegations levelled against him but admitted to taking the six-month forced leave as directed by the Board of Governors and Members of the Parents’ and Teachers’ Association (PTA).
By the time of the dismissal, the head teacher had already applied for early retirement, approved by the Public Service. According to a report obtained from the Apac District Human Resource Department, Odiyo’s terms of service end on the 31st of June 2025.
It should be noted that Ibuje Secondary School, a government-aided school established in 1981 currently has an enrolment of 300 students from senior one to senior six with 32 teaching staff. 11 non-teaching staff and 21 teachers on the government payroll.
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