By Weswa Ronnie
SIRONKO
Parents of Bungwanyi Government-Aided Primary School in Bungwanyi Parish, Mafudu Sub-county, Sironko District, can now breathe better after a Muslim charity constructed four permanent classrooms for the school.
Madina Masjid invested more than Shs800 million in the project, which includes the construction and equipping of the four classrooms with desks. The classrooms were commissioned on Monday, 21st September, 2026 providing relief to a school that has struggled for years with dilapidated structures.
Asha Nabulo Lumolo Mafabi, the Sironko District Woman Member of Parliament, said she lobbied the Muslim charity to support the school after visiting it during the 2021 general election campaigns. Lumolo said she found pupils studying in classrooms that were in a poor state, with some structures at risk of collapsing.
She said she subsequently approached the charity and requested support to construct permanent classrooms and provide desks. After winning the Sironko District Woman MP seat in the 2026 general election, Lumolo said she followed up on the pledge until the charity began and completed the project.
Sironko District LCV Chairperson Nabende Guga welcomed the project, saying Bungwanyi Primary School had never had permanent structures since its establishment. Guga said the district had planned to construct permanent classrooms but lacked sufficient funds, and urged other leaders to emulate Lumolo by mobilising donors to support education, health and other sectors.
The school’s headteacher, Beatrice Nandundu, said the new classrooms had addressed a major safety concern for pupils and teachers. Nandundu said the school previously sent pupils home early whenever it rained because administrators feared the old classrooms could collapse.
The school has about 400 pupils from Primary One to Primary Seven, but Nandundu said enrolment has been affected by the shortage and poor condition of classrooms. She urged the district to recruit more teachers so that the school can accommodate and retain more pupils now that additional classrooms are available.
Sam Mutengo, a parent, welcomed the new classrooms, saying pupils had previously been exposed to danger because of the condition of the old buildings. Other parents, Darah Nagudi and Suzan Negesa, urged teachers to improve academic performance and produce better Primary Leaving Examination results now that the school has a more conducive learning environment.
