At 75 years, St. Aloysius College is on verge of collapse

Jan 25, 2014

St. Aloysius College, once one of the brightest schools in West Nile, has since lost its glory and is now on the brink of collapse.

By Cynthia Aber

St. Aloysius College, once one of the brightest schools in West Nile, has since lost its glory and is now on the brink of collapse.

Despite basking in the pride that former Ugandan president Milton Obote and ex-Prime Minister George Cosmas Adyebo are its Old Boys, the school is worryingly falling apart.

The school was opened by the White Brothers missionaries on March 16, 1938. Thirty years later, Henry Omony became the first African head teacher after the white missionaries had left.

Today, the educational institution is on one side, in dire need of teachers and an urgent facelift, and on another side, the need to regain its subdued reputation.

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The bulidings are in a sorry state. PHOTO/Cynthia Aber

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Ceilings of classrooms are almost falling through. PHOTO/Cynthia Aber

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The bathrooms could collapse any time from now. PHOTO/Cynthia Aber

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The school was opened by the White Brothers missionaries in 1938. PHOTO/Cynthia Aber

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The school of calling on the government to come to its rescue. PHOTO/Cynthia Aber

The problems at the school are extreme. Cooperation and commitment are so low, driving the school further backwards than anyone would wish for.

Students are reportedly taking alcohol and drugs, and many go back home earlier than the scheduled time for departure.

It is understood that students prefer doing cultural activities than being in class. The head teacher, Mike Arigabile, is calling on the government to come to their rescue.true

Dormitories and bathrooms are in a sorry state.

The male to female teacher ratio at the school does not help either.  Out of the 25 teachers there, only one is female. 19 of the teachers are on government payroll while the other six are privately recruited.

The school is asking government for more teachers to handle the overwhelming number of students.

The limitation in the teaching staff also trickles down to the finances. With the constraints in finances, procurement of food and various school requirements is as low as is the ability to pay the private teachers and non-staff workers in time.

As the school looks to celebrate 75 years of existence this year, a lot still has to be done to save St. Aloysius from collapsing.

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