Challenges experienced by school management committees in monitoring the implementation of universal primary education in Uganda

Involvement of the community in school management may not necessarily improve education service delivery in schools. The purpose of this study was to conduct an empirical study on the challenges School Management Committees (SMCs) experience in monitoring the implementation of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in Uganda. SMCs are mandated to participate and monitor all the activities that make a school operational. The research objective that guided this study was: to assess the challenges SMCs experience in their monitoring roles and how these challenges affect the implementation of UPE in Uganda. The questionnaire and interview guide were usedas instruments to collect data. The results of the study seem to suggest that SMCs experience a number of challenges in their monitoring roles in schools of their jurisdictions that include the following :lack of knowledge and skills to do their monitoring work in schools, they lack expertise in financial management yet they are involved in financial budgeting that involves revenue mobilization and expenditures as well as financial controls. The study further found out that decision making seem to be dominated by influential members of the committee that most of the time biased decisions that are not crucial to the management of schools are taken due to lack of teamwork. The study also seem to suggest that SMCs have limited power and authority to take action regarding the way schools are run since the management and control of teachers remains in the hands of the central government with less inputs from the SMCs. The study recommends a need for policy makers to put in place the minimum requirements for one to be elected a member of SMC in terms of knowledge and skills especially in financial management. This creates a sense of efficient utilization of school funds and thus promoting teaching and learning in schools. The study further recommends that SMCs should be empowered to take corrective actions on issues concerning with the management of schools including the management and control of teachers. This empowerment creates a sense of ownership of schools that is likely to guarantee transparency and accountability in the way school resources are managed.