Lango grapples with broken education system- report

Over the years, there has been a remarkable improvement in the education system in northern Uganda despite several challenges.
However, the quality of education in some primary schools in Kole, Dokolo and Kwania districts has dropped significantly, according to a Community Score Card (CSC) administered by the Apac Anti-Corruption Coalition, a non-governmental organisation.
The study undertaken between July and September, in nine selected schools in the districts revealed that some of the stressing challenges include automatic promotion, parents’ negative attitude, teachers’ laxity and absenteeism, inadequate textbooks and desks, lack of parents’ involvement and participation in supporting the schools.
Others are non-completion of syllabus, lack of classrooms and sanitary facilities, and inadequate teachers.
In Dokolo and Kole for instance, it was found that boys and girls share pit-latrines, which affects children’s learning and promotes dropout, especially by girls.
It was also discovered that since its establishment in 2008, Adyang Annex School in Kole has not had any first grade in Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), while Amatiburu Primary School in Dokolo has also not had any first grade in the last 12 years.
The Amolatar District Internal Security Officer, Mr Godfrey Kaviiri, said: “There is nothing new in the report. All of us know these issues but the biggest challenge is that people neither love their work nor their country.”
The Dokolo internal auditor, Mr Alfred Ongom, said: “If you go to any government school, you find the whole school is smelling booze and sometimes drunk teachers run away from you. People get drunk and start abusing children, making them to abscond from school.”
Mr Lawrence Egole, the Dokolo Resident District Commissioner, said abuse is a psychological torture to a child.
The study further indicated that there is evident limited monitoring in the education sector.
Currently, Amatiburu Primary School, Kangai Sub-county in Dokolo does not have a school development plan required for effective performance.
At Alyecjuk Primary School, teachers are fond of taking the learners to dig in their gardens. However, teachers claim that some of their bright learners that they prepare for PLE are transferred by parents to private schools.
The chairperson of Agwata Sub-county in Dokolo, Mr Geoffrey Ajungu, said he has requested the district education officer to transfer all head teachers that parents have lost trust in.
The Dokolo principal assistant secretary, Ms Rebecca Mwima, said: “We have tried to ensure that structures are there, we have also been able to provide the human resource, and also, when money is extended by the central government we ensure that money goes to the various schools.”
The district education officer (DEO), Mr Bosco Bwonyo, said for positive changes to be realised in service delivery, civil servants should be honest.
He said Dokolo, with a staff ceiling of 1,118, has a shortfall of 374 teachers to provide services to its 60 schools.

No textbooks
In Kole, it was found that teachers at Adyang Annex Primary School use outdated textbooks because the school does not have money buy new ones.
The school head teacher, Mr Alfred Ogwal, said the 27 candidates, who are preparing to sit for the forthcoming PLE, are sharing only one English textbook.
Mr Walter Oming, the school management committee chairperson in Kole, said they have limited support from the sub-county leaders in mobilising parents to participate in school improvement plans.
At Onyut Primary School in Alito Sub-county, pupils complained that they study on empty stomachs because their parents do not contribute to the school feeding programme.
Kole District Education Officer Tom Okare told Daily Monitor on Wednesday that there are plans to address all the challenges facing their education sector.