KAGADI — Authorities in Kagadi District have arrested six directors of private schools in a major operation targeting institutions operating without valid licenses.
The crackdown, conducted jointly by district education officials and security personnel, targeted schools accused of ignoring repeated directives to regularise their operations with the Ministry of Education and Sports.
The affected institutions include Nyaruziba SDA Nursery and Primary School, Nankulabye Demonstration Nursery and Primary School, Kitonzi Demonstration Nursery and Primary School, Elite Education Centre, City Light Nursery and Primary School, and Kurukuru Parents Nursery and Primary School.
District officials said the schools had previously been identified during inspection exercises and warned to obtain the required operational licenses, but allegedly continued admitting learners without meeting the legal requirements.
The arrests were carried out after authorities confirmed that the schools were still operating outside the approved regulatory framework.
Officials described the operation as part of a wider campaign to streamline the education sector in Kagadi District, where authorities estimate that more than 200 private schools are still operating without proper licensing despite ongoing sensitisation efforts.
Education inspectors have raised concerns over conditions in some of the affected schools, citing poor infrastructure, inadequate sanitation, lack of essential learning materials, and employment of unqualified teachers.
Authorities argue that such conditions compromise both the safety of learners and the quality of education being provided.
District leaders stressed that licensing remains a mandatory legal requirement intended to ensure schools meet minimum standards in infrastructure, staffing, health, and academic management before being permitted to operate.
They warned that schools that fail to comply risk closure and possible legal action.
Officials further noted that the crackdown followed months of engagement and warnings to school proprietors, many of whom allegedly failed to take corrective action.
Authorities say inspections and enforcement operations will continue until all illegally operating schools are either regularised or removed from the education system.
Parents have also been urged to verify the licensing status of schools before enrolling their children, with officials cautioning that learners in unlicensed institutions risk disruption to their education if schools are abruptly closed during enforcement operations.
Kagadi District authorities say they plan to sustain compliance checks across all sub-counties as part of a long-term effort to improve education standards and ensure that children study in safe and properly regulated learning environments.
