Woes of worst performing school, comfort of the best

Education. High on the slopes of Mt. Elgon, one school rarely receives education inspectors, pupils and teachers barely report during rainy seasons and the PLE results have no candidate in divisions one to three. In sharp contrast, another in Kampala boasts of consistent results and facilities.

Located in the Wanale ridge on the slopes of Mt. Elgon is one of the worst performing schools in the Primary Leaving Examination results released early this week.
A journey through the Mt. Elgon National Park to Bunawiire Primary School presents a beautiful green scenery.
The cold fresh air whispers in your ears and softly touches your face as you ride along the village path.
But nature’s allure is ended by the realities that the seven-classroom block school is facing. The school had no candidate in divisions I to III but only three passed in Division IV and the rest failed. A total of 22 pupils sat for the examinations.
A new term will begin next month but, unlike many pupils, who are assured of the comfort in their classrooms, availability of teachers, scholastic materials and food, those at Bunawiire are uncertain.
The pupil-to-teacher ratio is largely imbalanced in lower classes but improves to 1:73 in upper primary classes (P.5-P.7), which, could be seen as fair compared to other schools under the Universal Primary Education (1:65 is the recommended ratio)
However, the teachers are absent most times. Unlike urban schools where lessons run from 8am to 5pm, at Bunawiire, lessons start after 10am and end by 2pm.
“Following sensitisation through home to home visits, many children are eager to go to school, but most of them prefer to stay home because teachers come to school at about 10am since they travel from about seven kilometres away and uphill,” Ms Justine Wakhasa, a P3 teacher, says.
Mr Joseph Namakhago, a former teacher at the school, says it started in 1985 as a Catholic-founded institution, but is now run by the government with more than 510 pupils and has seven teachers each per class.
“Before James Mutenyo died last year, the school had eight teachers, seven classrooms, an office for the head teacher in one of the classroom blocks, no staffroom and only two houses for the teachers,” Mr Namakhako said.
In one of the classrooms, that also serves as a staff room, a few teaching materials, pupils’ register and books are seen through the window.
Teachers say the school has text books and each is shared by more than 10 pupils in lower primary but three children share a text book in the upper section.

Out of contact
Ms Wakhasa says the school rarely receives any officials from the Education ministry.
“We hardly receive visitors so when we see you (reporter) come to the school, it is a privilege because this place is deep in the hills where district inspectors hardly visit although they know it exists,” she says.
The pupils and teachers have to contend with the hilly terrain and valleys, which worsens during rainy seasons.
“The number of pupils drops to as low as 200 during rainy seasons, Mr Joseph Wamono, an elder, says.
While examinations are set in English, the pupils are yet to master the language . An attempt on a conversation in English sets them running.
Irene Nabutsale, who is joining Primary Six this year, says their teachers teach them in a mixture of English and Lugisu.
“We attend lessons from 10am to 2pm. During the rainy season, we just sit in classes and we go back home because teachers do not come,” Nabutsale, who fails to express herself in English, says in Lugisu.
The head teacher, Mr Lawrence Khauka, says in an attempt to reverse the trend, parents frustrate their efforts because they keep the children at home to attend to the gardens and do not pay fees on time.
Mr Khauka, says the government supplies teaching materials to the school.
“We have chalk, text books and charts for teaching and learning but parents have negative attitude towards education.
He adds: “They never encourage children to go to school but tell them to assist them in the gardens. We need to cooperate with parents, teachers, community leaders and the child if we need results.”
Mr Khauka also says children study on empty stomachs since the school cannot afford their meals, adding that the government does not want the schools to charge any money for lunch.
“So, we have told parents to pack for them food but most of them do not,” he says.
The district education officer in-charge of special needs, Mr Hannington Bakumba, says they are aware of the situation at Bunawiire but are constrained by budgetary allocations.
“It is one of the schools that suffer during rainy seasons. We are aware and that is why although they have an index number, we have allowed them to sit examination in one of the schools in the lower land at Butsongola Primary School,” Mr Bakumba says.
He says the school received a classroom block from the School Facilitation Grant and another from the government.

Thousands of kilometres away lies a different story, that of Greenhill Academy in Kampala. It is the third day after PLE results have been released and the school is bustling with activity.

Pupils trickle in with their parents to receive their results, construction workers are repairing one thing or the other, while some teachers are already in the staffroom planning for the new term, which starts next month.

A jolly Deborah Tumwine makes her way to the head teacher’s office to receive her results. She scored Aggregate 9.

“I think I performed well. I expected better but this is not bad either,” she says.

Tumwine attributes her success to revision, consulting teachers and friends, research in the library, a computer laboratory and ample time for co-curricular activities.

“The teachers were so helpful. They guided us, encouraged us and we always had time to rest and do other activities like swimming, basketball, baseball and football,” she says.
Evidently, she likes the school and prides in the fact that she joined from preschool.

Greenhill Academy, unlike many schools, starts its recruitment from nursery, lot that once recruited, is natured to Primary Seven when they are ready to sit for their first national examinations.
“At six years, a child in Greenhill is starting Primary One and they continue up to Primary Seven. It is very rare for us to make a child repeat. What happens is when a child has got some learning disabilities, we may recommend repeating,” Mr Steven Mwesigwa, the school head teacher, says.

He adds: “If a parent is not comfortable with that idea, then we allow the child to continue because grades alone do not exactly make a person.”
Currently, there are 2,223 pupils from nursery to Primary Seven at the school with 123 teachers.

This means that on average, each teacher has 18 children to concentrate on. Nursery, which, however, needs more attention, has got seven streams with 30 children in each but the rest of the classes have an average of 50 pupils.

The classes are spacious, well equipped with furniture, charts and other learning materials.

Facilities
A desk, approximately a metre long, is shared by two pupils. Each has a drawer in which to keep their books. In addition, there is a school library that is equipped with text books.

Each classroom also has a notice board where test results are pinned and the school mission, vision and the country’s national symbols are fitted.
“Pinning results encourages competition,” says Mr Mwesigwa.

While parent pack breakfast and lunch for their children, the school provides meals.