EYE SERVICE

Eye Service: The Hidden Cost of Running a School Nobody Talks About

by Allan Richie

Every school looks good on open day. The swept compound, the fresh paint, the children reciting rehearsed answers for visiting parents — that's the performance. This book is about what's still true after the performance ends: at half past four, when the gate is locked and no one is watching.

Drawn from real workshop footage and years of fieldwork inside East African schools, Eye Service is a plain-spoken, sometimes uncomfortable look at the hidden costs that quietly determine whether a school thrives or slowly rots — the ones no glossy prospectus will tell you about: broken trust, underpaid teachers expected to deliver miracles, head teachers who lead by fear instead of respect, discipline systems that hide cruelty behind polite names, and a culture that punishes anyone who tries to do things differently.

Across 14 chapters, Allan Richie walks proprietors, directors, head teachers, and teachers through the real architecture of a school worth trusting — and asks the one question every school leader eventually has to answer honestly: Would you enroll your own child here, exactly as it is today?

What's inside:

• 14 chapters grounded in real workshop stories, not academic theory
• A short, honest epigraph and a "Key Takeaways" summary at the end of every chapter
• A glossary of Uganda-specific education terms for readers anywhere in the region
• Practical, unflinching guidance on trust, pay, leadership, discipline, staff wellbeing, and culture

Who it's for: school proprietors and directors, head teachers, teachers, board members, and anyone responsible for the everyday reality of running a school — not just its image.

Format: Digital ebook (PDF), formatted for comfortable reading on phone, tablet, or PC — clickable table of contents included.

Pairs perfectly with the Eye Service Companion Workbook — a chapter-by-chapter reflection and action guide for putting the book into practice.