Bukedi Bishop cautions govt on interfering with schools' management
Bishop Egesa appealed to Wagagai Mining Company to offer employment opportunities to Busia residents and urged job seekers to work hard if given the job placements. "Nowadays, most youths don't want to work."
The state-of-the-art primary school with a capacity of 600 learners consists of eight standard classrooms, two self-contained staff housing units, toilets, library, canteen, an independent water supply system and kitchen, all fitted with aluminium doors, windows and roofed with 20-gauge iron sheets.
The Bishop of Bukedi Diocese, Samuel Egesa, has advised government officials to stop meddling in the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) arrangements for running schools.
Although Egesa commended government for playing its part through Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) programmes, he revealed that research shows that schools performing very well are those in communities where parents have added a helping hand to UPE and USE programmes by addressing some basic needs the programme funds cannot provide.
"These things some people keep saying that President Yoweri Museveni’s children should study for free have killed some of our schools and made some parents lazy and irresponsible. My daughter, the RDC (Resident District Commissioner), when parents agree to pay some money for the good of their schools, like feeding their children at school and employing some teachers on PTA basis, why do you stop them?" the Bishop wondered.
Bishop Egesa made the remarks on Friday (October 2) while officiating at the handover of the sh1.7b Alupe Primary School constructed for Busia district authorities. The school was constructed by Wagagai Mining Uganda Limited.
During the anti-corruption campaign being conducted by Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara across the country, several school heads have come under attack for asking parents to contribute money towards learners' lunch and paying extra teachers. Barugahara has since ordered students/parents to stop paying such money.
Bishop Egesa appealed to Wagagai Mining Company to offer employment opportunities to Busia residents and urged job seekers to work hard if given the job placements. "Nowadays, most youths don't want to work."
Referring to a recent incident in which a three-year-old girl was brutally beheaded by a brother who demanded a ransom, Egesa decried the high levels of violent crime, which he attributed to youth, and challenged them to renew their hearts and embrace the ongoing government development programmes in place.
Egesa commended Wagagai Mining Company for working in line with government by providing employment, investing in quality education, health, water and sanitation and economic empowerment of residents.
Referring to a recent incident in which a three-year-old girl was brutally beheaded by a brother who demanded a ransom, Egesa decried the high levels of violent crime, which he attributed to youth, and challenged them to renew their hearts and embrace the ongoing government development programmes in place.
Alupe Primary School is a church of Uganda-founded, government-aided school located in Alupe village, which is one of the four villages situated in the Wagagai gold mining area. Other villages are Amagoro, Akipenet and Agoriati.
The former dilapidated three-block school structure was deserted five years ago.
Adam Wang, the Wagagai Mining Company public relations manager, said the former Alupe school structures lacked enough decent facilities, which made the learning environment difficult. He noted that Wagagai decided to fully fund the construction of a well-equipped modern school with adequate facilities to enable children to learn and grow in a secure environment.
Wagagai General Manager Tan Jiu Chang said the community deserves to share the fruits of Wagagai's development, adding that mines expire but the impact of education stands for generations.
Muhamud Kayira, the Principal Assistant Secretary, Busia district, who represented the office of the Busia Chief Administrative Officer, said the district identified the land that Wagagai bought and constructed Alupe Primary School.
He said Wagagai did more work than the scope provided, adding that the gold mining firm will also green the compound, install electricity and lightning arrestors, as well as improve the drainage system before next year.
Residents Janet Amoi and Philip Ekisa welcomed the milestone, saying the revamping of the deserted Alupe Primary School, the only school in the four villages, has given hope to parents and pupils who have been walking long distances to other schools.