Soroti teachers risking lives under condemned structures

A total of 18 of the 27 teachers who occupy the nine old and dilapidated accommodation facilities at Pioneer Primary School, formerly known as the Gujarati School in Soroti District, are at risk of losing lives over the poor state of structures.

Built in the 1930s, the teachers’ housing units bear glaring cracks on the wall, and rotten timbers infested by wood borers. Their sagging concrete ceiling boards often fall and destroy teachers’ properties.

The leaking roofs let in rain that damages scholastic materials kept in teachers’ houses for learners.

“Mr John Kokus Okello, 37, my teacher at the school, escaped death after a falling concrete ceiling collapsed and smashed his bed and other household utensils,” Mr Alfred Enyidu, the head teacher, said at the  weekend. 

Mr Enyidu further said two teachers including him, fearing for their own lives, resorted to commuting from home despite the challenges of high transport costs.

“Our lives are at risk, this is the third time the concrete ceiling in those teachers’ houses has collapsed. We survive death by God’s grace because accidents normally happen during the day when learning is ongoing,” Mr Enyidu said.

Last Wednesday when Mr Okello was reportedly in class for remedial lessons, a ceiling collapsed. Although no one was hurt, property was destroyed. 

Mr Enyidu added that the buildings are condemned but the situation forces teachers to inhabit them despite being in a poor state.

Ms Alice Obuya, a Primary Seven class teacher, said they endure the situation because they want to stay closer to their areas of duty. She complained that the poor state of accommodation for teachers is affecting delivery of services, especially during the rainy season.

Mr Gerefasio Osuje, another affected teacher, said the risks threaten teachers and pupils who visit the premises to play.

The Soroti City principal education officer, Mr Patrick Emokor, said the poor state of teachers’ houses is cross-cutting. 

“In Soroti City, we have 28 government-aided schools and 15 of them are suffering from acute shortage of teachers’ houses. Given the meagre resources the government sends to Local Government, I don’t want to commit that we shall be able to renovate these structures because they need a lot of money. We have tabled the matter to city council authorities and the Office of the Prime Minister. We are hopeful that at a certain point, we shall get support,” Mr Emokor said.

Parents’ support

However, he appealed to parents to support the school with finances through the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) to raise money for the construction of teachers’  houses. 

Mr Emokor added that the government previously banned PTA funds due to excessive charges and poor accountability to parents on how the collections were spent. He advised that rightful procedures should be followed by the PTA by raising, acknowledging and accounting for the funds to ensure value for money.