Pupils of Bukiyi Primary School in Dahami sub-county in Sironko district have been studying in the open for the last two years since the school’s roof and walls collapsed.
The dilapidated structures pose a significant risk to both teachers and learners, and the learners are finding it hard to concentrate. The school has a total of over 700 learners.
The teachers in the school say the condition in which they operate has made it hard for them to deliver results to the learners. These have urged the government to prioritize the rehabilitation of the School to prevent harm to the learners’ education and ensure that they have a safe and conducive learning environment.
“We are willing to contribute whatever we can to help rebuild the school and provide a safe and conducive learning environment for our children,” Geoffrey Magimugu, a parent in the school said.
Learners-study-in-broken-classrooms-at-Busyiyi-Primary-School
“As a teacher, it’s hard to administer commands to learners in such an environment as the learners hardly concentrate,” she added.
Rose Nagudi, the teacher of the primary three class that is the most affected, said that harsh weather puts both teachers and learners at risk because the remaining walls can collapse at any time, leaving them in ruins.
“These learning conditions have made us fail to complete the syllabus on time, yet the examination is set based on a wide cast that at times the learners haven’t covered, thereby affecting their performance,” she said.
Lawrence Waoyeba, the chairperson of the local council III of Dahami sub-county, noted that they have appealed to the district to come to their rescue but all in vain.
“We have written to the district to appeal to the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Relief and disaster preparedness, but no positive response has been received up to date,” Waoyeba added.
John Gidudu, an old boy of the school, echoed the concerns of the teachers and learners, noting that the risk for both learners and teachers to operate in “Such an environment is dire and uncommendable for human use.
” Imagine a child who is studying under such harsh conditions is meant to compete with his peers who are in schools that are well-built and hardly face any interruption by the weather,” he said.
Moses Masibo, the Sironko District Education Officer, promised to follow up on the matter and ensure that the school is rehabilitated as soon as possible. “We are aware of the situation at Bukiyi Primary School, and we are doing everything possible to ensure that the school is rehabilitated. We are committed to providing quality education to our children,” Masibo said
Sironko District, located in the eastern part of Uganda, faces numerous challenges when it comes to providing quality education to its residents.
According to a report by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the district’s literacy rate stands at 62.9%, which is below the national average of 73%. The district also has a high dropout rate, especially among girls, due to poverty and early marriages.
In addition to these challenges, the district also faces a shortage of teachers and inadequate infrastructure, including classrooms and textbooks. Many schools in the district operate under deplorable conditions, with some even lacking basic amenities like toilets and clean water.