KAMPALA – The Masaka Catholic Diocese has banned school visitations on Sundays, citing concerns that parents are prioritizing visits over attending Mass.
The diocese’s education secretary, Father Michael Kamulegeya, said many Christian parents spend Sundays preparing to visit their children in boarding schools, resulting in missed Masses and a decline in faith.
“Parents are spending their Sundays moving to schools to visit their children, and this is affecting their faith,” Father Kamulegeya said in an interview on Saturday.
To address this issue, the diocese has instructed its schools to open on Mondays instead of Sundays, and to restrict visitation days to Saturdays.
The move is part of a broader effort by the diocese to promote spiritual growth among its faithful. The diocese has also announced plans to continue teaching Christian Religious Education (CRE) in its schools, despite the subject being removed from the national curriculum.
“The Episcopal Conference has resolved that CRE should continue to be taught in our schools, and we shall follow that,” Father Kamulegeya said.
The Masaka Diocesan Inspector of Schools, Father Francis Xavier Lubega, has also called on proprietors of private schools to listen to learners’ concerns and address them promptly to avoid unnecessary strikes.
School administrators have welcomed the new policy, saying it will give them a chance to attend Sunday Mass and reduce disruptions to the school week.
“We had already decided to shift our visitation day to Saturday because our teachers were getting tired and missing classes on Monday,” said Josephine Nanfuka, a teacher at Archbishop Kiwanuka Secondary School.
The Masaka Diocese covers nine districts in the Greater Masaka region and runs 449 primary schools, 66 secondary schools, and several other educational institutions.
