By Solomon Hamala
In Bugweri
Government has commissioned a shillings 2.75 billion Naigombwa Seed Secondary School in Namalemba Sub County, Bugweri District.
The School that was commissioned on 30th April, 2022 will provide education to students from less privileged family backgrounds.
The seed school that is equipped with modern facilities like computers, sewing machines aimed at providing vocational skills to students was constructed with funding from a World Bank loan under the U gift phase one project.
The State Minister for Higher Education, Doctor John Chrysestom Muyingo in a message read for him by the Resident District Commissioner Bugweri, Billy Mulindwa urged parents to always provide their children especially girls with necessities like books, pens while at school to reduce on the dropout rate.
“Most of our daughters are dropping out of school for early marriages because they are lacking very small things that would be provided by their parents,” he said.
Muyingo said government is committed to ensuring that all sub counties countrywide have a seed secondary school as a way of improving on the literacy levels amongst the population.
He said contractors of new seed secondary schools have been instructed to equip them with modern equipment to provide vocational skills to students in a bid to enable them become job creators instead of seekers upon completion of their studies.
Muyingo hailed the Muslim community for donating land for construction of the school saying it will reduce on the burden of students moving long distances seeking for education.
He appealed to the school administration and locals to guard the infrastructure from being vandalized so that even future generations will benefit.
“This school now belongs to you and we hope it will be there for many more years so that the future generation can also benefit,” he said.
Muyingo said the ministry of education was seeking extra funding to ensure all seed schools get access to clean drinking water and electricity.
The Woman Member of Parliament Bugweri, Racheal Magoola attributed the declining academic performance in the district on frequent absenteeism of teachers from duty besides late arrival for lessons.
Magoola promised to offer at least ten bursaries to needy students during her term in office to ensure they complete education.
The LC 5 chairman Bugweri, Hajji Shafiq Muziransa cautioned the Muslim community against assuming the administrative role of the school.
“Now that you Muslims donated land for construction doesn’t mean that you are going to dictate affairs of the school to run in your favor,” he said.
Muziransa urged the school administration to embark on the process of acquiring a land title to guard against people who may want to encroach on its premises.
He appealed to religious leaders to utilize their pulpits to mobilize parents to enroll their children to the school.
The Secretary for Education, Bugweri district, Prossy Nambeko said most government aided schools are facing an acute shortage of toilets, and classroom blocks following an overwhelming turn up of students after the COVID 19 break.
“We ask government to prevail over the matter since the situation is extremely bad and requires immediate attention,” she said.
Nambeko urged government to decentralize the recruitment process of secondary teachers at district levels to ensure local graduates within benefit.
The district education officer Bugweri, George Tigawalana urged schools teachers to adopt the new abridged curriculum since its practical and that it will turn learners into job creators instead of seekers in case they dropped out of school.
Tigawlana vowed to take disciplinary action against any school head teacher who will be found guilty of dismissing any student for failure to clear school dues.
“The decisions you take during parents meetings for contribution of school dues should not affect the child who is studying,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Bugweri, Doreen Hakasumo hailed government for its efforts to construct schools across all sub counties saying it will help improve on the education levels of its citizens.
Hakasumo urged President Yoweri Museveni to fulfill a campaign pledge he made in 2016 to construct Mpira seed school in Makutu sub county in Bugweri district.
