Pader gets sh2b for classrooms
Dec 03, 2009
PADER district has earmarked sh1.9b, part of funds from the Government’s Peace Recovery and Development Plan, to construct 112 classrooms in 28 primary schools.
By Chris Ocowun
PADER district has earmarked sh1.9b, part of funds from the Government’s Peace Recovery and Development Plan, to construct 112 classrooms in 28 primary schools.
Charles Amone, the district education officer, made the disclosure during an interview on Monday. Amone said the number of primary schools conducting lessons under trees due to lack of structures had reduced from 96 in 2005 to 43.
“We have 43 primary schools which are lacking classroom structures. In these schools, classes are conducted under trees,†he explained.
The remaining 15 schools, Amone added, will be catered for by the development partners like Zoa, Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision and Goal. The education officer also said with the Government and agencies’ intervention, they had built classrooms in 53 other primary schools in the return villages.
“It’s our hope that as we end this year, we shall stop conducting lessons under trees. We are in the process of getting contractors to do the remaining work in not more than two months,†Amone said.
The education chief added that “our vision is to ensure that in the next few years, we should be having a minimum of 10 classrooms in every school to improve the learning conditions in the district.â€
Amone, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the education ministry over restricting the recruitment of teachers, yet many children who dropped out of school during the LRA war were returning to school.
He said the small number of primary school teachers in the northern region were overwhelmed by the big classes. Amone pointed out that the district required about 2,500 teachers, yet the teachers staff-ceiling is at 1,810.
PADER district has earmarked sh1.9b, part of funds from the Government’s Peace Recovery and Development Plan, to construct 112 classrooms in 28 primary schools.
Charles Amone, the district education officer, made the disclosure during an interview on Monday. Amone said the number of primary schools conducting lessons under trees due to lack of structures had reduced from 96 in 2005 to 43.
“We have 43 primary schools which are lacking classroom structures. In these schools, classes are conducted under trees,†he explained.
The remaining 15 schools, Amone added, will be catered for by the development partners like Zoa, Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision and Goal. The education officer also said with the Government and agencies’ intervention, they had built classrooms in 53 other primary schools in the return villages.
“It’s our hope that as we end this year, we shall stop conducting lessons under trees. We are in the process of getting contractors to do the remaining work in not more than two months,†Amone said.
The education chief added that “our vision is to ensure that in the next few years, we should be having a minimum of 10 classrooms in every school to improve the learning conditions in the district.â€
Amone, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the education ministry over restricting the recruitment of teachers, yet many children who dropped out of school during the LRA war were returning to school.
He said the small number of primary school teachers in the northern region were overwhelmed by the big classes. Amone pointed out that the district required about 2,500 teachers, yet the teachers staff-ceiling is at 1,810.