First Lady rallies international community to support refugees

The Minister of Education and Sports, Mr Janet Museveni, has called upon the international community to support the management of refugees in Uganda.
Speaking to the media after commissioning Bukere Secondary School in Kyaka II Refugee Camp in Kyegegwa District, which was constructed by Finn Church Aid (FCA), Ms Museveni said the international commitment is still low, but indicated that there was need to applaud those who have supported refugees in Uganda, especially in the education sector.

“Though Uganda has faced turbulent times, we have managed to facilitate the vulnerable in the refugee camps and that is a blessing,” she said on March 16.
Ms Museveni added that the policies, which include the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework and the Education Sector Strategic Plan 2017 to 2020, states that refugees who have been granted asylum are entitled to the same kind of education that is available for citizens.

“That is why there has to be funding to facilitate the support of these policies and plans,” she said, adding: “Specifically for the Education sector, the government partners with various donors who are still establishing schools and training centres to equip refugees with practical skills to enable them to become competitive in the job market.” 
The country director for FCA in Uganda, Mr Wycliffe Nsheka, said due to lack of access to education in refugee camps, FCA came up with an initiative to support the youth through constructing Bukere Secondary School, which is under the Lasting Education Achievements Responding to Needs, (LEARN project) at a cost of $11m (about Shs39.5b), for a period of three years. 

The LEARN project is funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, a bureau in the United States.
“The three-year project, which is ending this year in August aims at providing access to inclusive quality secondary education for refugee and host community children and adolescents. This project is implemented in several settlements including Bidibidi, Palorinya, Rwamwanja, and Kyaka II refugee settlement,” he said.
Mr Nsheka added that previously, Kyaka settlement only had one secondary school, Bujibuli SS, which was serving more than 3,000 students. 
 The new Bukere Secondary School now has an enrolment of 686 students, 238 of who are nationals from the host community.