Fight corruption without traumatizing learners, educationist tells education minister amid safeguarding concerns

An educationist based in England has urged Uganda’s Minister of State for Higher Education, Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo, to ensure that anti-corruption investigations in schools do not expose learners to confrontations, arrests or other enforcement activities that could affect their psychological wellbeing.

Ntubiro Godfrey, in an open letter dated September 19, 2026, said corruption in schools must be firmly addressed, but argued that the methods used to investigate suspected wrongdoing should take into account the unique nature of the school environment.

“Corruption must be fought. Public resources meant for educating Ugandan children must be protected,” Ntubiro said, while stressing that persons suspected of wrongdoing should be investigated and dealt with according to the law where evidence establishes culpability.

His concern, he said, was not the fight against corruption but “how that fight is entering the school environment and what our children are learning from it.”

Schools require special protection

Ntubiro argued that schools cannot be treated like ordinary public spaces because they bring together children at critical stages of intellectual, emotional, social and psychological development.

He said teachers undergo professional training not only to deliver academic subjects but also to guide and manage learners.

Against this background, he questioned the educational and psychological consequences when investigators, police officers, political leaders or other officials confront or attempt to arrest teachers or headteachers in the presence of learners.

He identified fear and anxiety, disruption of learning, confusion about authority, humiliation and stigma among the possible consequences.

According to Ntubiro, children may become particularly distressed when they see familiar teachers or school leaders being publicly confronted by other authorities.

“A school should be a predictable and secure environment,” he said, warning that highly confrontational incidents could alter learners’ perception of school as a place of safety.

Concern over disruption and school security

The educationist also warned that repeated confrontations in schools could have wider consequences, including learner unrest and strikes.

He argued that young people may react collectively when they perceive a teacher or headteacher they trust to have been publicly threatened or humiliated.

He also raised concerns about school security, saying that if learners and staff become accustomed to unfamiliar people entering schools while claiming to be investigators or government officials, it could become harder to distinguish legitimate officials from people with improper intentions.

“This therefore becomes more than an anti-corruption question. It becomes a safeguarding and school-security question,” Ntubiro said.

Protecting the dignity of teachers

The letter also highlights the potential impact of public enforcement actions on the authority of teachers and headteachers.

Ntubiro said teachers occupy an important place in the lives of learners, with many former students continuing to remember those who taught, disciplined and mentored them.

He questioned how public confrontations involving teachers could affect their ability to return to classrooms and continue exercising authority after an incident witnessed by their learners.

He argued that accountability and respect for the teaching profession should not be viewed as competing principles.

Lessons from England

Drawing on his experience in England, Ntubiro pointed to safeguarding procedures governing access to schools in the United Kingdom.

He said school premises are generally treated as controlled environments where visitors are expected to identify themselves, explain the purpose of their visit and comply with established safeguarding and security arrangements.

He argued that Uganda could similarly strengthen procedures governing access to schools during investigations and enforcement operations.

“When children are entrusted to a school, that school assumes a serious responsibility for their safety and welfare,” he said.

Call for firm but discreet investigations

Ntubiro stressed that his proposals should not be interpreted as shielding schools from investigations.

He said authorities should continue examining records, interviewing witnesses, summoning responsible officers and gathering evidence where there are reasonable grounds for investigation.

Where an arrest is legally justified, he said, the relevant authorities should be able to carry it out.

However, he argued that unless immediate circumstances make it unavoidable, enforcement actions involving school personnel should be conducted away from learners.

Appeal to the minister

Ntubiro has appealed to Minister Muyingo to provide clear guidance on how investigations and enforcement activities should be conducted within school environments.

Among his recommendations are that confrontational arrests and questioning involving school personnel be conducted away from learners where possible, while investigators and other officials should comply with school entry, identification, safeguarding and security procedures.

He also called for minimal disruption to teaching and learning and respect for the dignity and due-process rights of people under investigation.

Most importantly, he wants the psychological and safeguarding interests of learners considered when planning operations inside schools.

“Such measures would not weaken the fight against corruption,” Ntubiro said.

Instead, he argued, they would demonstrate to learners that Uganda can enforce accountability while respecting the law, evidence, due process, human dignity, institutional order and the welfare of children.

“Our children are watching us. Everything we do before them is teaching them something,” he said.