Schools in Kyangwali refugees camp struggle with teacher shortage

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KIKUUBE – Government primary schools in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement Camp in Kikuube district are struggling to operate due to a shortage of teachers and high dropout rates.

Maratatu Primary School, which was founded in 2018 by community members and taken over by the government in 2019 to provide access to education among vulnerable children, is one of the struggling schools.

Geoffrey Ayesiga, the headteacher of Maratatu Primary School, said that the school, with an enrolment of 7,490 learners, is currently being run by only nine teachers who are on the government payroll.

He said that previously, many organisations were supporting the school, but due to financial challenges, all organisations that were supporting the school have withdrawn, and they are unable to continue financing teachers in the school.

Ayesiga said that last year the school had about 102 teachers manning the school and being paid by non-government organisations operating in the camp. However, when they pulled out due to a lack of funding, the teachers withdrew.

To cope with the shortage challenge, the headteacher said they merged streams, which has left every class packed with other pupils having to sit on the floor.

He said they had also introduced double study shifts to be able to manage the number of students and also attend to every learner.

“A teacher is supposed to handle 55 learners, but because of the population and the number of teachers available, one handles about 830 learners,” revealed Ayesiga.

Ayesiga said that currently, they need about 90 more teachers to help the learners at the school because some of the learners miss classes due to a shortage of teachers.

Learners dropping out

Julius Agaba, a teacher at Kasonga Primary School, said that some of the learners have ended up leaving school and opting to do other things. He adds that sometimes it’s difficult to trace the missing girls in communities because they return to DR Congo.

Early marriages

Proscovia Nanfuka, the deputy head teacher of Maratatu Primary School, notes that the number of girls dropping out of school is high because their parents marry them off, while others send them abroad to work as housemaids.

Roselina Ubote, the chairperson of the Parents’ Teachers Association (PTA) at Maratatu Primary School, said that they have been actively mobilising parents to support their children and ensure that they stay in school.

Amon Zondera, the Kikuube district Inspector of Schools, said that the teacher shortage is particularly critical, with most schools struggling to cope with a large number of students.

He attributed the shortage to various factors, including teacher retirements, deaths, and a lack of replacements.