Schools to have ICT labs, Govt to provide 40 computers to each

By Ismael Kasooha

Government has received a grant of US$100m (about sh259b) to construct classrooms in schools countrywide to boost universal primary and secondary education.

"We have already secured funding and construction will start next year across the country to boost universal education," said Jessica Alupo the minister of education and sports.

While commissioning a three-classroom block with an office and a library constructed at Ihuura primary school in Kibaale district by Joseph Kasumba, an old boy of the school on Friday, Alupo said government is interested in raising literacy levels of its citizens.
 
"We have developed plans in the education ministry to ensure that starting next year classrooms are constructed for both primary and secondary schools countrywide to eliminate studying under trees or in dilapidated structures," she said.
 
Alupo said 181 sub-counties which do not have government aided secondary schools will be catered for in the programme.
 
"Government will construct information and communication technology (ICT) laboratories in all secondary schools and provide 40 computers in each of them," Alupo said.
 
She noted that construction of laboratories in10 schools in Kibaale under the World Bank project was not being done well and promised to dispatch a team of experts to assess them.
 
Alupo noted that there are three pillars in education where the parents or community, teachers and the Government must work hand in hand to improve on it.
 
She said government will continue training teachers in colleges and recruit them to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio.
 
The minister thanked the teachers for returning to class after the strike.

"It is a cardinal role and responsibility of government to construct schools but people like Kasumba are supplementing on our efforts," said Alupo.

Handing over the new block, Kasumba the director of ADMAN Sources Company that constructed the classrooms at a cost of sh88m said the donation is in honour of the late founders of the school to inspire the children in education.

The district LC5 chairperson George William Namyaka hailed Kasumba for joining the elderly investors where he pledged to equip the new classrooms with desks.