By Benjamin Epeduno
KATAKWI DISTRICT
Katakwi district has registered slightly less than 50% turn-up of pupils after the two year Covid-19 lockdown two weeks after the re-opening.
This was revealed to this website by the Katakwi District Inspector of Schools, Daniel Alileng on Saturday 22nd January 24, 2022 during a handover ceremony of Shs16m printing machine to Usuk county schools by Hon. Bosco Okiror, the area MP.
Alileng revealed that when schools were closed because of Covid, Katakwi District had a total of 59,260 pupils. However, only 28,203 have reported: 13, 524 boy children and 14,679 girl children implying that, 31,057 children are still at home with their parents.
The district is also grappling with the human resource. Katakwi is to have 1118 primary teachers but only has 750 including head teachers that have been distributed across the 78 government schools in the District.
According to the requirements, the district is to have also 78 substantive deputy head teachers in absence of a head teacher but six are substantive, 32 care takers and some of them are due to retire.
By 14th august 2021, Katakwi had reported a decrease of teachers and head teachers from 750 to 740, less by 10 whose whereabouts are not known.
In Week one of first term 2022, from 740, only 682 teachers have reported to their respective schools and 58 are still at large. Many of them crossed working in other districts while others are stubborn and 15 are sick.
Teacher pupil ratio
Each primary school teacher is to teach 50 pupils but in Katakwi is a different pandemic, 200 to 300 per class.
Report on water crisis in Usuk primary schools.
Wage bill
Hon. Bosco Okiror the chairperson for Teso parliamentary group says, his office will engage all the four Katakwi MPs to seat and push for a wage bill.
He said Katakwi District woman Mp and V.P Alupo Jessica, Ngariam County MP and state Minister for Economic Monitoring in the office of the President Hon. Peter Ogwang, Toroma County MP Hon. Joseph Andrew Koluo and him will sort out Katakwi problems.
Luck of Clean Water in schools
Primary schools like Angerepo, Okuda, Aketa and Ongongoja all in Usuk County are having no reliable water sources/ points hence making children to walk 2 kilomitres to look for water yet Covid SOPs are to be observed.
Covid fund.
All primary schools were given 1,500,000 each as operational fee for buying hand washing facilities and other items but some schools spent and need more aid.
