Education: Serere schools in need of ICT equipment and teachers

SERERE– Most secondary schools in Serere district are struggling to teach Sciences and Information Communication Technology [ ICT ] due to lack of laboratories, computers, internet connection, and skilled workforce, theCooperator understands.

In 2012, government introduced ICT studies in secondary schools across the country.

The Ministry of Education and Sports undertook to set up computer laboratories in each secondary school and hire instructors to kick start the programme.

However, while receiving a donation of sports equipment from the Member of Parliament for Pingire County Fred Opolot last week, the school teachers said several secondary schools in Serere district are struggling to teach sciences and computer studies.

The sporting equipment which include balls for football, volleyball, rugby, handball, javelins, shotputs, and discus, were donated to three secondary schools of Pingire S.S,  Labor High School, and St. Elizabeth Girls S.S Kidetok.

According to Opolot, the reason for donating these sports equipment to schools is to improve sports and promote talents among students of Serere.

In his communique, Simon Oleico, the Chairperson Board of Governors (BOG) of Labor high school which was taken over by government four years ago, said that computer studies have not taken off because lack of teachers, computers, and power supply.

According to him, there is no way the school would conduct the lessons with all the challenges mentioned.

“Labor high school doe not have both computer and science laboratories. The teachers here are using a small room as a science laboratory but the reagents for practicals are inadequate,” said Oleico.

At St. Elizabeth Girls S.S Kidetok, Florence Imalingat the school head teacher told MP Opolot that they only received 20 computers from Uganda Communication Commission [UCC], which he said are not enough given that the school has over 400 students.

She explained that as a result, the students spend more time on theoretical lessons and less on practical skills.

“As a result, only a few students have opted to take the subject for fear of failing the final examination due to inadequate learning,” said Sr. Imalingat

According to her, the problem of teaching computer lessons has further been aggravated by an unstable power supply as it does not have a generator.

“During power outages, students go without practical computer lessons,” Sr. Imalingat explained.

At Pingire S.S, Francis Odamala the school head teacher said that many schools including his do not have computers or power sources, which he says is discouraging students from taking computer studies.

“Here in Pingire secondary school, we are faced with a number of challenges, particularly the teaching of sciences, the school doesn’t have a laboratory for carrying out practicals and the chemicals are inadequate’ he stated.

Odamala told the Cooperator that they have tried to lobby from government for the establishment of a laboratory for many years now but the answer they get is there is no money.

On the side of teachers, he (Odamala) noted that they don’t have teachers for biology and agriculture.

“Our teachers for biology and agriculture retired way back in 2020 and 2021 respectively but they have not been replaced,” Odamala said.

The situation according to Odamala has forced them to hire teachers who are paid by the school under Parents Teachers Association amidst meager resources.

Some of the students who spoke to the Cooperator said computer studies are a big flop due to lack of computers.

Esther Abiro, a form five student at St. Elizabeth Girls S.S Kidetok she was forced to drop computer science in senior two because she was tired of struggling with few available computers with fellow students.

She regreted that she should have by now polished her computer skills if the school had enough computers.

The assistant Head Girl Labor High School, Rachael Namulondo, is considering abandoning her dreams of taking computer studies.

“I really wanted to do computer at ‘A’ level, but without computers at school then I cannot because for you to excel in A you must have started from ‘O’ level,” she said.

Meanwhile, Fred Opolot, the MP for Pingire County asked the educational and sports ministry to conduct additional computer training for teachers and provide instructional materials.

He also wants government to establish science laboratories and computer Labs for all secondary schools in the country and equip them with the required apparatus and computers.

“There it doesn’t make sense for government to talk about prioritizing sciences yet schools don’t have laboratories while the existing ones are also ill-equipped,” said Opolot.

https://thecooperator.news/kwania-schools-grapple-with-poor-infrastructure/

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