Citizens of Kyenjojo district, during feedback session by members attended by chairperson LC3 Nyankwanzi and Bufunjo, district
counselors, sub county counselors, a team from RWECO and CEWIT, leaders of the neighborhood assembly and the
sub county technical team were all moved by
the issues raised by the members of Irakalyabantu Neighborhood Assembly (NA) on 24th February 2014. Amidst all the interventions in the
education sector, the sub county still faces the challenge of poor P.L.E results
despite the fact that the sub county is blessed with 9 government aided
primary schools, 3 private schools and many other subgrade schools with of
course two secondary schools of which
one is a community school.
Alas for the whole sub county got 7 first grades
and to make matters worse all the grades
were from private schools that is Kyamutunzi parents and Mabira Demonstration
school which is the opposite in the previous year when out 9 first grades in
2012 in the sub county, 6 were from government aided primary schools and 3 were
from private. Another good example is Nyamyezi primary school that has suffered
the impact of staff sealing with only two teachers on government pay roll and
the others are S.4 dropout managed to have the their pupils pass with Grade 2
and three while a school like Ruboona Primary School that has teachers on
government pay roll out of 16 pupils who sat for P.L.E in 2013 3were in third grade
and 13 un graded. The implication of this is that all the pupils of Ruboona Primary
school do not even qualify for Universal Secondary Education (USE) yet they have qualified teachers.
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| Participants at the feedback meeting in Nyakwanzi S/C, Kyenjojo districxt, 24th February 2014 |
Key factors that were identified by the leaders that
contributed to poor performance in P.L.E were among others the teachers strike
over low salary where the sub county chairperson explained that most teachers
were demotivated due to poor salary even when the strike was called off their
mind was not cleared compared to those in private schools where parents pay the
teachers. It was also alarming that Nyankwanzi
sub county has only two substantive head
teachers while the rest are just acting as head teachers. The acting head
teachers cannot effectively do their work with authority because motivation and
power. Also the parents
in Nyankwazi sub
county were blamed for regarding their children as Museveni’s children
where they have left the responsibility
of
educating their children to the
government disguising
that UPE is free
therefore children go to school without scholastic materials or even lunch thus
denying them chances to concentrate especially during the afternoon classes.
The leaders in Nyankwanzi Sub County were also concerned that the pupils in
Nyankwanzi Sub County have no role models to inspire them to go study because
those who are educated prefer not to come back to the sub county but rather
stay in towns.
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| Ms. Sheila K of RWECO presenting at the feedback meeting in Kyenjojo on 24th February 2014 |
During a feedback meeting, the sub county leaders resolved that
in order to improve education standards Nyankwanzi Sub County would reward the
best performers in the sub county with best student’s award of UGX.50,000/
in Primary, UGX.100,000/ in UCE and UGX. 100,000/ for U.A.C.E. The sub county intends also
to establish an elites association so that they can motivate young to
prioritize education as well as ensure massive sensitization of parents on
their role and responsibility to fulfill education requirements for their
pupils. Monitoring and support supervision of schools by the leaders would also
be a key strategy to ensure that teachers are doing their work as well as
motivated. The leaders also resolved to
start a campaign on providing lunch to the pupils while at school.
Compiled by:
Sheila K
Gilbert M
Nyaika R
