Old students come up to help revive Lango College

PIC: Some of the old students and staffs in a group photo

LIRA - Old students of Lango College, a government aided secondary school in Lira have come up to help revive the collapsing school and restore its lost glory.

The school located in Adyel division, Lira municipality has faced a lot of challenges in the last decades, resulting in poor education performance and dwindling number of students from over 1,000 to about 300, according to the new headteacher, Sam Okino.

The school has dilapidated structures that need urgent renovation.

There was a violent strike at the school on June 14, 2016 in which students burnt the school pick-up truck and destroyed many other properties, including the headteacher's house, office block and staffroom.

As a result, students were required to pay sh10,000 per term for maintenance of the school pick-up, but the vehcicle is still grounded. 

Last year, the headteacher, Fred Okello, was transferred and a new one, Okino took over. A new board of governors has also been instituted after over five years without one.

On Sunday afternoon, the new board called the old students for consultation where a number of issues aimed at reviving the school were discussed.

One of the dilapidated buildings at the school

Okino said he found a number of challenges such as lack of administrative structures, debts, conflict between teachers among others.

He said he found the teachers divided and demotivated and the number of students had dwindled.

The old students during the meeting resolved that efforts should be made to raise money to renovate the structures.

Eng. Dr Charles Wana Etyem, the chairperson Makerere University Council, also an old student and former board chairman of the school was recognised for constructing the tarmac leading to the school.

In his remarks, Wana expressed concern that most former students do not want to help. He urged the members to try networking.

Robinson Ogwal, another old student and a former leader of the school, urged the leaders of the school to revive to the old system that was being used to run the school instead of trying new methods that are destroying the culture of the school.

The old students then elected Ogwal as their representative to the board, a position that has been vacant.

The meeting also resolved that teachers who had stayed at the school for over 10 years should be transferred. They also identified that some teachers were now too old, while others do not want to perform.