Sh120b to renovate 46 schools

Feb 27, 2008

THE Ministry of Education has received a $70m (about sh120b) grant from the African Development Bank to renovate government-aided secondary schools which had not been repaired for over 30 years.

By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe

THE Ministry of Education has received a $70m (about sh120b) grant from the African Development Bank to renovate government-aided secondary schools which had not been repaired for over 30 years.

The acting education minister, Gabriel Opio, yesterday said many of the Government and government-aided secondary schools were in bad shape.

“Several schools are dilapidated. They need to be rehabilitated to admit more students and improve their academic performance,” Opio told head teachers and district chairpersons at the launch of the project at the Ridar Hotel in Mukono yesterday.
The project, co-funded by the Government, covers some of the top schools in the country including those whose performance had declined because of poor facilities.

The schools include Nabisunsa Girls, Makerere College, Gombe Secondary School, Busoga College Mwiri, Mbarara High School, Bweranyangi Girls, Nabumali High School, St. Joseph’s College Layibi, St. Peter’s College Tororo, Masaka Secondary School, Teso College Aloet and St. Leo’s Kyegobe.

Opio said the increased enrolment in secondary schools, especially after the implementation of the free primary and secondary education programmes, had stretched the existing facilities.

The project will cover the rehabilitation of classrooms and dormitories, provision of furniture, equipping laboratories and stocking libraries.

The pilot scheme will cover 42 secondary schools and four technical and vocational schools.

There are over 780 government-owned and aided schools. Opio said the schools were chosen basing on regional, religious and gender factors.

The director of education, Dr. John Mbabazi, said the plan would help restore the old glory of the traditional schools.

“In the 1960s and 70s, the good performing schools spread out countrywide. The trend has changed. Only a few schools in Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi and Luweero districts excel.”
According to the Ministry of Education, although many schools were built for 300 students, they had over 700 students.

The assistant commissioner for education planning, Joseph Muvawala, said the project was dubbed ‘creating centres of academic excellence through rehabilitation and development of selected secondary schools.’

The African Development Bank resident representative, Dr. Mukaile Ojalade, said President Yoweri Museveni last year asked them to support infrastructure development in secondary schools.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});