Mayuge schools lack classrooms

By JACKIE NAMBOGGA

Stakeholders in the education sector in Mayuge district have blamed the poor academic performance in schools in the area in national examinations on the pathetic environment under which the pupils study.

Teachers and parents on Tuesday told the Bunya East Member of Parliament Waira Kyewalabye Majegere that pupils study under difficult conditions due to lack of good infrastructure in most primary schools in the area.

Speaking at a meeting held at Bugumya primary school, Bukaboli sub-county, they said many schools lack adequate classrooms while in others, pupils study in ramshackled mud and wattle structures.

Wilberforce Liongha, the deputy head teacher of Bugumya, said the school has only a two-classroom permanent block constructed under the school facilitation grants (SFG) and accommodates pupils of primary six and seven.

He said the school has a dilapidated three-classroom mud and wattle structure that accommodates pupils of primary four and five while the rest of the pupils in lower classes study under trees.

"We are working under tough conditions, whenever it rains, the pupils who study under trees are forced to look for shelter in the two-classroom blocks and this affects lessons. If it rains for a week, they miss several lessons yet we have to follow the syllabus," Liongha said.

He caused more shock when he revealed that the entire school with a population of 600 pupils has only 30 desks saying majority of the pupils carry empty polythene bags and banana fiber mats on which they sit during lessons. He said only pupils of primary seven sit on desks.

He said the school has only one five stance pit latrine which is shared by both the pupils and the teachers yet it is likely to get filled up before end of this term. He added that the situation is not any better in neighbouring schools.

However, residents noted that late coming and absenteeism of teachers in most schools partly contributed to the poor academic performance in the area.

Bakali Wagende, a parent, said teachers report for duty very late leaving pupils to play in their absence.

Farouk Ngobi, who confessed dropping out in primary six, noted that most teachers can not deliver to their expectations saying many used fake academic transcripts to secure the jobs. He asked the district service commission to review their transcripts.

Catherine Ajwang put the blame on the district inspector of schools Allen Nabirye saying she was not doing her work effectively.
 
"Whenever she is going to inspect schools, she first alerts the head teachers in advance, so they mobilize their staff to try and put things in order but inspections are meant to be impromptu," Ajwang said.

However, New Vision could not reach Nabirye for a comment on the allegations against her.

Majegere said he organised the tour so as to acquaint himself with issues at the grassroots so as to find solutions to them. He added that he was prompted to intervene after learning that his constituency did not have any pupil passing in division one in last year's primary leaving examinations (PLE) while only seven passed in division two.

"I am always curious to read newspapers to find out how many pupils from my constituency have passed in division one but usually there is none. This offends me and that is why we are here to establish the cause," Majegere said.

The meeting was attended by local leaders, elders, parents, primary school head teachers and their staff from the three schools that included Nakasuwa, Bugumya and Bugoto, all located in Bugumya parish in Bukaboli sub-county.