Maracha District Local Government has a new District Education Officer (DEO). Mr. Asiki Michael Maxwell replaces Ms. Osoa Flavia who stepped down in May 2024 after reaching the mandatory retirement age, 60

Mr. Asiki was a classroom teacher before gaining promotion to senior education officer and principal education officer both positions he held while serving with Koboko District Local Government.

Hajji Ramathan Walugembe, Maracha Resident District Commissioner (RDC), tasked Mr. Asiki to cooperate with his office in the supervision and monitoring of government programs in the education sector. Hajji Walugembe made the remarks at the handover of the new DEO.

“We shall always want to know what takes place at the department. We are not spies as people say, there is a difference between a spy and a monitor. A spy is not supposed to be known,” he said.

Hajji Walugembe added: “For us we are not spies, we are monitors of government programs. We ask for your cooperation.”

Currently the education department is undertaking capital projects, under Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Program Project for Uganda (UgIFT) these include: construction of All Saints' Oluvu Seed Secondary School and Construction of Kololo Public Seed Secondary School.  Under the School Facilities Grant (SFG) the department is undertaking Construction of 2-classroom block with office and store at Yivu Primary School, Construction of 2-classroom block with office and store at Azipi Primary School, among other projects.  Under the School Maintenance Grant(SMG), renovation of 2 units of classroom blocks without office and store at Etoko Primary School, renovation of  4 classroom blocks without office and store at Kijomoro Primary School and renovation of 4 classroom blocks without office and store at Maracha Primary School, among other projects.

Hon. Stephen Obitre, Maracha District Chairperson, advised the new DEO to be determined to achieve results saying, “For you to succeed you have to principled, embrace team spirit and be assertive. There is that assertiveness you need to apply for you to manage your office.”

Mr. Olila Patrick, Maracha District Chief Administrative Officer, said the recruitment process of the DEO was rigorous.

“Before Flavia (Osoa) retired we did not want to have any gap. We advertised for the post of DEO before Flavia (Osoa) but unfortunately we did not get a candidate suitably to be shortlisted and therefore we had to go to the drawing board. We had to re-advertise for the post, we were successful,” he said.

Mr. Olila said the experience Mr. Asiki possesses in school inspection will be a pillar in the delivering of quality education.

“You can’t be a good DEO unless you are good inspector. I want to thank you for accepting to be appointed DEO Maracha and preparing yourself to be solicited,” he said.

Mr. Olila commended Mr. Edward Andruga, senior education officer, who was acting DEO for doing his best.

“It was not easy for me to identify someone but I thought he would do it best. I want to thank you for having that accepted the responsibility. You did it within the timeframe given to you.  You have steered the office successfully to until we have got a new DEO,” he said.

“I believe in teamwork. It is my responsibility to bring the team together to see that we achieve what is required of us.  We shall coordinate together to see to it that we take Maracha to greater heights,” Mr. Asiki said in his remarks at the office handover.  

Mr. Asiki called for further entrenchment of the program based approach to planning in the District.  

“We no longer work as sectors we work as programs, I want to commit to you (heads of departments) that we shall work together, coordinate together to see that we achieve the vision of Maracha District Local Government. We have to work for the Government of Uganda led by His Excellency Yoweri Museveni,” he said.

The Third National Development Plan (NDP III) adopted a Program Planning Approach (PPA) comprising of eighteen programs that are to be aligned to Program Based Budgeting (PBB). NDP III became more result oriented in planning and budgeting. The programme approach has implications to the planning, budgeting, coordination and implementation frameworks. NDP IV will uphold PPA.