The headmistress for Nairambi Seed School in Buvuma islands, Faridah Namusisi has enumerated challenges they go through including lack of safe drinking water and electricity, inadequate classrooms to accommodate the soaring students’ numbers, and insufficient dormitories which she said forces management to make student share beds and others to lay their beds on the floor.
Because of lack of clean drinking water, the students draw drinking water from the lake, and use solar powered lamps for their night studies which Namusisi said exposes them to the danger of visual impairment.
She was on Wednesday conducting members of the Parliamentary Committee on the National Economy who were on a two-day monitoring exercise of government funded projects in the islands.
Two classes were being conducted under a tree shade and on a classroom verandah. She said that although their ICT lab is newly completed, it is not furnished with computers, while the science laboratory has no equipment.
As the MPs moved around the school, they came across two female students sleeping in a temporally sickbay, something which seemed not ok for them.
In addition, because the school lacks a perimeter wall around, the headteacher told Kyaggwe TV that the learners are likely to be tempted to sneak out and go to immoral errands.
Namusisi said that owing to lack of enough dormitories and beds, the students share beds while others sleep on the floor, both of which are fraught with disease spread in case some had contracted any contagious disease.
The HM lamented that although under the new curriculum learners are supposed to study in groups, in their case it is impossible owing to the overwhelming numbers in their classes. Under the circumstances she said, they continue to conduct classes in the old system which was outdated.
Her woes were echoed by the district NRM Chairperson, Friday Wandera who thanked government for the new buildings but still asked for more because they are still in need.
“Although we are in what they call ‘hard-to-reach area’, we should not be forced to stay in what may be termed as ‘hard-to-stay’ conditions,” Wandera said.
He said the school numbers have been soaring from 15 in 2019 to the present day 870, hence necessitating a step up in provisions for better services.
In his contribution, Buvuma Deputy Resident District Commissioner Patrick Mubiru assured the students that President Museveni is aware of their woes, and asked them to be patient.
“Since he gave you these nice buildings, he will certainly furnish them, so just give him time”, Mubiru said.
And Buvuma Woman MP, Susan Nakaziba urged the students to concentrate on their studies so as to be successful in life. Despite the components that are still missing, Nakaziba advised them to utilize what is available as they wait for other requirements.
Nakaziba noted that final examinations are just around the corner and that lamenting instead of concentrating in their books cannot change much now.
Buvuma MP, Robert Migadde Ndugwa said that following scholastic material gaps forwarded to his office by the headteacher, he managed to buy solar panels for the school to allow students have night preps and also enhance security at the campus.
On addition, Migadde also said that he managed to procure text books for the school more so those required in the new curriculum.
The rest of the visiting MPs went class by class introducing themselves, telling the learners their constituencies and their professions as a way of encouragement that when they stay focused and determined, they will be able to make it in life.