The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kitagwenda, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Education has started the process of taking over Kanara Secondary School in Kitagwenda district.
The school was constructed in 2005 by the community. It has 400 students, 13 teachers and the only secondary school in the sub-county.
However, it has been struggling to extend quality education to students due to lack of classrooms, science laboratories, a library, a computer lab, teachers and scholastic materials among other things. It has two permanent and three mud and wattle classrooms.
On Monday, engineer Joseph Kapyate, the assistant engineering officer Ministry of Education and Sports visited the school to assess whether it was fit for government takeover.
Some of the requirements that he looked at included the size of the land, availability of a management committee and its location.
After the assessment, Eng Kapyate said that the school meets all the requirements to become a government-aided school. He explained that he is going to report to the ministry that it deserves a grant like other government-aided schools starting with the next financial year.
George Bavuga, the PTA chairperson said that they have also been struggling to pay teachers’ salaries. He says that once the government takes over, the burden will be lifted off their shoulders.
Fabian Habiyaremye, the Kitwagwenda district education officer said that the school was failing to attract students due to its poor standards. He hopes that the enrollment will increase and performance will also improve.
Bahati Yasin, one of the students says that before the closure of schools due to COVID-19 outbreak, they were forced to study from under trees because of inadequate classrooms.
He said that once education institutions reopen and the government builds for the community new structures and equips their laboratories, the learning environment will be conducive.
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