St Jude Kasudde, where classrooms are a dream
Nov 12, 2006
It is 9:30am. A group of cheering pupils are seated on bricks and logs under a mango tree which serves as their classroom.
By Juliet Lukwago
It is 9:30am. A group of cheering pupils are seated on bricks and logs under a mango tree which serves as their classroom. They are attentively listening to their teacher who is posing questions to check whether they understood the previous day’s mathematics lesson.
“Teacher, me, me,†they chorus before thunder roars across the sky to announce the beginning of a downpour. The lesson abruptly ends as the pupils abandon their seats of bricks and logs to take refuge in the nearby parish hall. The teacher grabs the broken blackboard leaning against the mango tree trunk and also trudges to the same shelter.
That is a typical day at St. Jude Kasudde Primary School in Masulita, Wakiso district.
Despite the inception of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1997, some schools, not far from the Kampala city, still have to study under tree shades, a sign that government still needs to invest more in classrooms.
Founded by the Catholic Church in 1988, the school was eventually taken over by the Government in 2004, to the relief of parents at least as far as paying teachers’ salaries is concerned. With a total of 440 pupils—230 girls and 210 boys — St. Jude is yet to benefit from the School Facilities Grant (SFG) in order to have better classroom structures.
According to Rev. Fr. Edward Ssebukoola, the parish priest of Masulita, although it is now three years since government took over the school, the facilities have remained the same. He also said the school was yet to benefit from textbooks supplied by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
“We asked the Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, who is also our MP, for assistance and we hope he will help speed up the process,†Ssebukoola said.
Justifying why the school should be assisted, Ssebukoola explained that the nearest UPE schools from St. Jude were about four to five kilometres away.
Wakiso District Education Officer, Henry Lwanga Ssempijja, said he was aware of the plight of the school and that the district was going to work on it.
The deputy headteacher, Noah Ssentongo, says the school nearly closes during the rainy season. He said lack of proper facilities and instructional materials had affected their academic performance.
“We have only got two first grades in the last three years,†lamented Ssentongo.
“We can’t continue using such blackboards,†he says pointing at one of the broken blackboards.
The pupils, some in uniform, say they suffer during the rainy season. The incomplete parish hall is the only shelter. The administration block is too small to accommodate all the pupils.
Fr. Ssebukoola has, however, mobilised parents to put up some temporary structures as they await government assistance. “They have embarked on brick-making in order to avoid any disaster that may befall their children,†he says.
“We want to be assisted by the Government in the construction of this school,†says Michael Mutebi, a parent.
With the scaling down of the SFG budget, schools like St. Jude Kasudde might have to wait longer for government to assist.
Ends
It is 9:30am. A group of cheering pupils are seated on bricks and logs under a mango tree which serves as their classroom. They are attentively listening to their teacher who is posing questions to check whether they understood the previous day’s mathematics lesson.
“Teacher, me, me,†they chorus before thunder roars across the sky to announce the beginning of a downpour. The lesson abruptly ends as the pupils abandon their seats of bricks and logs to take refuge in the nearby parish hall. The teacher grabs the broken blackboard leaning against the mango tree trunk and also trudges to the same shelter.
That is a typical day at St. Jude Kasudde Primary School in Masulita, Wakiso district.
Despite the inception of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1997, some schools, not far from the Kampala city, still have to study under tree shades, a sign that government still needs to invest more in classrooms.
Founded by the Catholic Church in 1988, the school was eventually taken over by the Government in 2004, to the relief of parents at least as far as paying teachers’ salaries is concerned. With a total of 440 pupils—230 girls and 210 boys — St. Jude is yet to benefit from the School Facilities Grant (SFG) in order to have better classroom structures.
According to Rev. Fr. Edward Ssebukoola, the parish priest of Masulita, although it is now three years since government took over the school, the facilities have remained the same. He also said the school was yet to benefit from textbooks supplied by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
“We asked the Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, who is also our MP, for assistance and we hope he will help speed up the process,†Ssebukoola said.
Justifying why the school should be assisted, Ssebukoola explained that the nearest UPE schools from St. Jude were about four to five kilometres away.
Wakiso District Education Officer, Henry Lwanga Ssempijja, said he was aware of the plight of the school and that the district was going to work on it.
The deputy headteacher, Noah Ssentongo, says the school nearly closes during the rainy season. He said lack of proper facilities and instructional materials had affected their academic performance.
“We have only got two first grades in the last three years,†lamented Ssentongo.
“We can’t continue using such blackboards,†he says pointing at one of the broken blackboards.
The pupils, some in uniform, say they suffer during the rainy season. The incomplete parish hall is the only shelter. The administration block is too small to accommodate all the pupils.
Fr. Ssebukoola has, however, mobilised parents to put up some temporary structures as they await government assistance. “They have embarked on brick-making in order to avoid any disaster that may befall their children,†he says.
“We want to be assisted by the Government in the construction of this school,†says Michael Mutebi, a parent.
With the scaling down of the SFG budget, schools like St. Jude Kasudde might have to wait longer for government to assist.
Ends