Kigezi gets 4 seed secondary schools
Students of Kashaka Girls School taken through the dos and don’ts of attending classes after reporting to school on Monday. In Kigezi Sub-region, four seed secondary schools have been handed over to district authorities. PHOTO/FELIX AINEBYOONA
Four newly-constructed seed secondary schools worth Shs8.67b have been handed over to district authorities in Kigezi Sub-region.
The schools include Buhara Secondary School in Kabale District, Rwamucucu in Rukiga District, Nyamweru in Rubanda District and Nyakinama in Kisoro District.
The construction works started in July 2019 under Phase 1 of the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UGIFT) Programme.
The director of Geses Uganda Ltd, Mr Peter Nkurunungi , whose company did the work, handed over one administration block, a science laboratory, an Information Communication Technology library, six teachers houses, six kitchen rooms for the staff, 2-five stance toilets for students and 4-two stance toilets for the staff at every selected school on Tuesday.
“All classrooms have been equipped with the necessary furniture while the computer lab was equipped with the required number of computers,” Mr Nkurunungi said.
On January 6, the Ministry of Education and Sports extended the official commissioning of the constructed 68-seed schools across the country from January to February and asked each benefiting local government to earmark at most Shs7 million to facilitate the commissioning expences. The funds will be reimbursed in the Financial Year 2022/2023.
The government allowed the district authorities to receive the new infrastructure and start using them as schools reopen.
“We are grateful to the Ministry of Education for allowing us the new buildings. The teachers of the seed schools have already been employed by their respective districts, I encourage the recruited staff to stay in the newly-constructed staff houses and provide full time teaching services,” the Rukiga District education officer, Ms Vastine Beyendera, said.
The first handover ceremony was held at Rwamucucu Seed Secondary School in Rukiga District where authorities led by the Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Eriab Ntarwete, LC5 chairperson Robert Mbabazi Kakwerere, Resident District Commissioner Pulkeria Muhindo, and Ms Beyendera received the schools and commended the contractor for the good work.
Mr Ntarwete asked the administration of respective seed schools to quickly select the board of governors and members of Parents Teachers Association for the smooth running of the schools.
The head teacher for Rwamucucu Seed Secondary School, the Rev Ivan Muhoozi, said lack of electricity, Internet connectivity and the school fence remain the main challenges at the school.
He added that about 150 students had been admitted to the school while 23 teachers have been recruited.
Mr Kakwerere said plans are under way to connect the school with clean piped water.
“The district has already received designs for the extension of hydropower lines to the same school, so the school’s computer laboratory can be active,” he said.
