By Gerald Businge
PARENTS of Kyambogo Primary School have appealed to Kampala Mayor, John Sebaana Kizito to come to their aid and ensure the completion of a five-classroom block.
This issue was of major concern during the parents general meeting on May 25, at the school.
Building of the classrooms that started in 1997 to solve overcrowding in the current seven classrooms stalled many months ago due to non-payment of the contractors.
Jerusalem Construction Company (JCC) that won the KCC tender to construct the school locked the already roofed classrooms in September 2002.
â€œWe are surprised up to now nobody is concerned,â€ says Simon Kaziba, JCC Construction Director.
Kaziba says KCC still owes his company sh8m. The school construction started with education tax funds from Kyambogo division (sh4m) and Nakawa division (sh1m).
In 1998, the parents decided to complete one classroom in order to alleviate the congestion in classes. The school currently has 950 pupils and seven classrooms.
In 1999, the school was chosen to benefit from the school completion programme and received School Facilities Grant (SFG) for the five classroom block.
The parents met and decided to contribute towards building materials and labour. The aim was to raise the classrooms from damp proof coarse to ring beam level, which they did.
According to letters Education Vision saw at the school, SFG was to contribute sh20,885,225 while the community was to raise sh15,372,450. SFG has fulfiled its obligation while the community has only raised sh7,190,000. The balance is sh8,382,450.

The community had to contribute because these rooms are bigger than those built by government under SFG. There was a change in policy where schools could no longer charge parents and the school cannot raise the money. I have been waiting for KCC who contracted us to show concern but the officials I have gone to donâ€™t mind,â€ Kaziba says.
The classrooms now are almost skeleton structures and may need more work. The floors are rough with protruding stones while the casement windows are almost falling out of the window frames. The glass panes have also never been fixed.
â€œWhen second term begins I donâ€™t know what to do. Children are congested in the classrooms and their parents are complaining because some of them sit on the floor.
â€œIn P6, I have 177 pupils and I have shifted them to an open structure. Some parents are threatening to demonstrate,â€ says Jane Kansiime, the new school head.
Education Vision saw several letters written by the chairperson of the School Management Committee, Zulaika Nabukera as early as September 2000 requesting the principal town clerk for financial assistance to complete the building to no avail.
While KCC does not have the direct responsibility to pay the balance, Kaziba says as the contractors they do have a responsibility.
â€œI attended the parents meeting on May 25, and they were complaining because they still pay education tax. They said KCC cannot fail to pay sh8m if they are concerned about the school,â€ Kaziba says. Ends

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