Bududa tragedy
Mar 16, 2010
<b>Schools on rough road to recovery</b><br>The pain of the landslide tragedy that hit Bududa district will stay on for long. The education sector was severely affected. About 100 pupils perished.
By Fredrick Womakuyu
Schools on rough road to recovery
The pain of the landslide tragedy that hit Bududa district will stay on for long. The education sector was severely affected. About 100 pupils perished.
As seventy-eight-year-old Dison Kuloba remembers the sight of helpless children who could not run to safety, he is overcome with grief. On the day of the tragedy, over 100 children who took shelter at Nametsi Health Centre perished.
At Nametsi Primary School, Ezra Obed, the head teacher confirmed that 37 pupils died. “We had the highest number of the pupils that were killed. We have recovered only 17 bodies,†he says.
He recalls that after realising the rain was not stopping, the teachers sent the pupils back home, advising them against crossing flooded rivers. The children took the teachers’ advice and took shelter at Nametsi trading centre.
However, at about 8:00pm, at Nametsi trading centre, an estimated 400 people were buried alive. To date, about 300 are still missing.
Enock Makobi, a teacher at Bukalasi Secondary School says most of the missing are children who had taken shelter at the health centre.
“We have recovered only 10 bodies. About 26 pupils from Tunuwasi Primary School are still missing. Over 40 students of Bukalasi Secondary School are also still missing, after only about 23 bodies were recovered,†he says.
Amosi Mulahama, a teacher at Nametsi Primary School says: “If the landslide had reached the schools, the teachers would probably have died. Thankfully, no teacher was hurt or killed,†he says.
He says many children died because they walked several kilometres to and from school.
“The community of over 5,000 people has only three primary schools and the nearest secondary school is 21km away. The rain trapped them at the trading centre,†Mulahama says.
Parents tell sad stories
Parents and teachers at Namashet parish have sad stories to tell.
John Musumba, a parent at Nametsi lost 12 children and two wives. “Six of my children were studying at Tunuwasi Primary school. I had a house in the trading centre, where some of my other children were staying. I was away in Mbale district when tragedy struck,†says Musumba.
Fred Wangwe, a teacher at Nametsi Primary School says since the river next to their school was flooded, he had to use a wooden door as a bridge. He believes pupils and students in Namashet had been living dangerously.
“This place has steep hills and valleys — crisscrossed by water sources. The water sources flood whenever it rains heavily, which hinders students from crossing,†he says.
In fact, sometimes the rain would be so heavy that many would not attend school. This gradually affected the school’s performance.
In last year’s national examination results, Nametsi Primary School had no pupils in first division. Only three out of 40 pupils who sat the 2009 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), passed in second grade.
Of the 2,206 candidates who sat PLE from Bududa district, only 16 passed in division one. This was the second worst performing district in Uganda after Manafwa.
Since it was founded in 1989, Nametsi Primary School has had only one pupil passing in the first grade.
“Over 70% of the pupils drop out by P.6. The few pupils who continue to S.1 drop out due to lack of school fees and morale. Most parents engage their children in farming and marry the girls off early,†Wangwe says.
Way forward
Ezra Nabute, the headteacher of Nametsi Primary School requests the Government to transfer the schools from Namashet parish to a flat ground.
“There are no role models for the children to emulate in this village. People don’t value education and depend on farming for survival.
Maybe this could have contributed to the disaster due to over cultivation and poor farming methods,†he says.
Schools to be relocated
Bududa district chief accounting officer, Vitalis Oswan, says classes had been suspended in the affected area indefinitely while residents are urged to relocate.
“We are convincing them to leave. We have set up temporary classes in the camp and some of the children are learning,†he says.
The two primary schools in Namashet — Tunuwasi and Nametsi primary schools, were not affected by the floods and the residents think they can still use the schools.
“However, the area is prone to landslides and if we neglect our children, they will perish. That is why we are trying to get them out,†Oswan says.
Over 1,500 pupils are to be relocated to new schools.
Seven temporary tent classrooms with about 150 pupils have been set up. These have about 150 pupils already studying.
“We need to sensitise and counsel the affected. With time, they will go back to school,†he says.
Schools on rough road to recovery
The pain of the landslide tragedy that hit Bududa district will stay on for long. The education sector was severely affected. About 100 pupils perished.
As seventy-eight-year-old Dison Kuloba remembers the sight of helpless children who could not run to safety, he is overcome with grief. On the day of the tragedy, over 100 children who took shelter at Nametsi Health Centre perished.
At Nametsi Primary School, Ezra Obed, the head teacher confirmed that 37 pupils died. “We had the highest number of the pupils that were killed. We have recovered only 17 bodies,†he says.
He recalls that after realising the rain was not stopping, the teachers sent the pupils back home, advising them against crossing flooded rivers. The children took the teachers’ advice and took shelter at Nametsi trading centre.
However, at about 8:00pm, at Nametsi trading centre, an estimated 400 people were buried alive. To date, about 300 are still missing.
Enock Makobi, a teacher at Bukalasi Secondary School says most of the missing are children who had taken shelter at the health centre.
“We have recovered only 10 bodies. About 26 pupils from Tunuwasi Primary School are still missing. Over 40 students of Bukalasi Secondary School are also still missing, after only about 23 bodies were recovered,†he says.
Amosi Mulahama, a teacher at Nametsi Primary School says: “If the landslide had reached the schools, the teachers would probably have died. Thankfully, no teacher was hurt or killed,†he says.
He says many children died because they walked several kilometres to and from school.
“The community of over 5,000 people has only three primary schools and the nearest secondary school is 21km away. The rain trapped them at the trading centre,†Mulahama says.
Parents tell sad stories
Parents and teachers at Namashet parish have sad stories to tell.
John Musumba, a parent at Nametsi lost 12 children and two wives. “Six of my children were studying at Tunuwasi Primary school. I had a house in the trading centre, where some of my other children were staying. I was away in Mbale district when tragedy struck,†says Musumba.
Fred Wangwe, a teacher at Nametsi Primary School says since the river next to their school was flooded, he had to use a wooden door as a bridge. He believes pupils and students in Namashet had been living dangerously.
“This place has steep hills and valleys — crisscrossed by water sources. The water sources flood whenever it rains heavily, which hinders students from crossing,†he says.
In fact, sometimes the rain would be so heavy that many would not attend school. This gradually affected the school’s performance.
In last year’s national examination results, Nametsi Primary School had no pupils in first division. Only three out of 40 pupils who sat the 2009 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), passed in second grade.
Of the 2,206 candidates who sat PLE from Bududa district, only 16 passed in division one. This was the second worst performing district in Uganda after Manafwa.
Since it was founded in 1989, Nametsi Primary School has had only one pupil passing in the first grade.
“Over 70% of the pupils drop out by P.6. The few pupils who continue to S.1 drop out due to lack of school fees and morale. Most parents engage their children in farming and marry the girls off early,†Wangwe says.
Way forward
Ezra Nabute, the headteacher of Nametsi Primary School requests the Government to transfer the schools from Namashet parish to a flat ground.
“There are no role models for the children to emulate in this village. People don’t value education and depend on farming for survival.
Maybe this could have contributed to the disaster due to over cultivation and poor farming methods,†he says.
Schools to be relocated
Bududa district chief accounting officer, Vitalis Oswan, says classes had been suspended in the affected area indefinitely while residents are urged to relocate.
“We are convincing them to leave. We have set up temporary classes in the camp and some of the children are learning,†he says.
The two primary schools in Namashet — Tunuwasi and Nametsi primary schools, were not affected by the floods and the residents think they can still use the schools.
“However, the area is prone to landslides and if we neglect our children, they will perish. That is why we are trying to get them out,†Oswan says.
Over 1,500 pupils are to be relocated to new schools.
Seven temporary tent classrooms with about 150 pupils have been set up. These have about 150 pupils already studying.
“We need to sensitise and counsel the affected. With time, they will go back to school,†he says.