Tororo district gets two seed secondary schools

TORORO-Government has earmarked Shs 5.8 billion to construct two seed secondary schools in Tororo district in a bid to have more students in the district attain secondary education.

The funds under Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer fund [Ugift] will support the district to construct the schools in the sub-counties of  Iyolwa and Sop Sop, respectively.

While addressing journalists, the Tororo district chief administrative officer [CAO] Dunstan Balaba, disclosed that they have already signed the contract agreement with Custom Engineering Limited to start the work.

“The money is on the district account and we are only waiting for the contractor to report on site and we expect the works to be complete in a period of six months. We thank Tororo Archdiocese for donating land that will host St. Joseph Seed Secondary School in Sop Sop Subcounty,” he said.

He said they have communicated to the contractor to report on the site and commence construction works.

During the contract signing, the district leaders called for quality work and completion of the construction project as per the timeline.

Tororo district education officer, Albert Odoi, said the two seed secondary schools to be constructed will be a big relief to the residents in the sub-counties as they didn’t have a government secondary school.

“ We had a big challenge in the two sub-counties since none of them had a government-aided secondary,” he said.

He attributed the school dropout in the area to the lack of a secondary school.

“Majority of learners fail to continue with secondary education because their parents cannot afford to pay fees being charged in private secondary schools. To show the need for secondary education, parents had already started community secondary schools in the two sub-counties with the help of volunteer teachers who conduct classes in makeshift structures which have attracted a reasonable enrolment and with this support we expect the enrolment to drastically increase,” Odoi said.

He added: “As a directorate, they are engaging the government to make sure that the remaining 21 lower local governments equally get seed secondary schools for easy access to secondary education.”

He disclosed that government has also approved the request to construct another seed secondary school in Mwelo Subcounty and the process of procurement is at its final stage.

Molly Cherya, the Tororo district secretary for works and technical services who represented LC5 Chairperson, appealed to the technical wing to ensure maximum technical supervision so that the quality is not compromised.

However, the deputy resident district commissioner, Albert Amula called for transparency in the execution of the construction works and urged the contractor to recruit local unskilled labour, saying it is one of making the local people to be part of the project.

Amula decried the increasing cases of stalled construction works in the district.

Meanwhile the managing director Custom Engineering Limited Eng. Franklin Owor Fireworks, promised quality work.

https://thecooperator.news/govt-releases-shs1-5b-for-two-new-seed-secondary-schools-in-alebtong/

Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our  country- wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news