KWANIA– Some primary schools in Kwania district are facing the challenges of poor infrastructure whereby they have dilapidated structures, no classroom desks, and have inadequate teaching staff.
According to education experts, the challenges are affecting learning in schools and subsequently leading to poor performance in Primary Leaving Examinations [PLE].
Kwania district has 65 government-aided primary schools and less than half have desks, classrooms, learning materials and teaching staff.
Officials said besides the shortage of desks and teaching staff, there are also challenges of accommodation, poor sanitary facilities and a number of classrooms whose roofs were blown off by heavy winds, but have not been put back.
Agnes Akech, the headteacher of Agwiciri Primary School in Inomo Subcounty, says the school has an enrollment of 1034 pupils but with only 25 desks allocated strictly for primary seven and 15 teaching staff.
“We also have eight classrooms which are not enough for the overwhelming numbers,” she says on the 17th.
“We forwarded our problem to the district but we didn’t get the feedback till now,” Akech says.
At Akot Primary School, it has a population of 1,587 pupils, 17 teaching staff, and only 181 desks. Some of the pupils are also studying on the floor.
Robert Okao, the acting headteacher called upon the government to add more desks, recruit teaching staff and increase the number of classrooms.
“The desks are not enough and there is also a need to increase the number of teachers because the enrollment is overwhelming,” he says.
Peter Opio, a resident of Alyet village in Aduku Subcounty, alleges that the government released money to procure desks for the six schools in the district but was diverted.
Opio who is the LC1 of Alyet says at least Agwiciri has 25 desks but there were schools with only four, six, ten or 15 desks. “That is why the district registered poor performance in PLE results,” Opio says.
The district LC5 chairperson Geoffrey Ogwal Adyebo says the district council has education prioritised the education sector in the next budget.
He says the district diverted Shs 72 million for the procurement of desks in primary schools to pay a contractor of Aduku Seed Secondary School who was threatening to seek legal redress over his money.
https://thecooperator.news/japanese-government-constructs-maternity-ward-in-kwania-district/
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