Empowering ICT teachers/tutors and Lab technicians with repair and maintenance basics

Having realized the day to day challenges of computer lab assistants and or ICT teachers in schools and Teacher training colleges, RIC-NET in partnership with CFSU organized a repair and maintenance training for the teachers and lab assistants.

The two days training that attracted ICT teachers/tutors and lab assistants from St.Charles voc s.s, St. Thereza girls-Nsenyi, kilembe s.s and Bwera teachers college was held in Fort Portal, RIC-NET head office. 

RICNET ED stressing a point

A number of ideas as well as practical (hands on) assignments were performed.

In his opening remarks the Director RIC-NET welcomed the participants and thanked their institutions’ management for having implemented a resolution that was passed of training them (participants) during a head teachers and Principals meeting that was held late last term. He went ahead in delivering one of the two days sessions content about security with computers and internet.

He wished them an inspiring and good two days training and asked them to ask and understand better.

Opening up his session on repair and maintenance, the RIC-NET ICT officer asked the participants to be more attentive, interactive and ask whatever question they would love to about the topic since he had enough expertise in that field.

The training was divided into three sessions; hard ware & security and software on day one and two respectively.

ICT Officer during the training emphasising technical issues

Several issues were discussed and performed during the two days session from 12^th-13^th sept.2014 including comp. blowing, installations of several software like g operating systems, hard ware troubleshooting among others.

At the end of the 2 days session the participants realized that they are actually the small things that they neglect with their computers that at the end of the day will result into serious computer problems, and thus if safe maintenance measures are practiced, there would be no serious computer break downs.

The participants promised to practice and put the skills acquired to use in their respective institutions and that there would be a field monitoring activity by the RIC-NET ICT officer to find out if there has been any change in their way of handling computers and if such common problems had reduced.

The ICT officer RIC-NET further related the computer maintenance to human health, “just like we handle our health if you took boiled water and slept under a mosquito net you may not contract those malaria and typhoid complications, and so is the same story with computers. If well maintained, scanned they may not reach a step of going down completely” he said

In his closing remarks, the Director RIC-NET asked the participants to cause a change in as far as ICT usage in their institutions is concerned. He told them to be of value to their schools and effectively use the skills attained. He further told them that Information technology is all about the attitude, that even if u acquired the skills and never pick the interest to practice those practical things then you may never progress. 

Participants doing it themselves

The training ended later in the afternoon of the second day and participant

GOOD SANITATION FOR GIRLS AT MUHOKYA PRIMARY SCHOOL, KASESE DISTRICT

Schools girls at Muhokya Primary School, Kasese district will get a relief after RWECO unearthed and exposed their plight to relevant stakeholders that have vowed to put right what had gone wrong at the School. During a sensitization meeting held at School, in October, 2014, the head girl of the school revealed to the participants the ordeal they go through while sharing toilets with the boys at the school. Muhokya Primary school has an enrollment of  700 pupils and 16 teachers who share the a three stance latrine at the school. By a mere mention of that, the participants were touched and acted immediately. The parents pledged to contribute bricks to construct a three stance latrine with a girls changing room. RWECO wrote to the Diocese of Kasese, Education secretary about the plight of the girl child at Muhokya Primary School. Fr. Daudi Kitsa, the Education Secretary immediately called for a meeting for action on the plight of the girl children at the school who mobilised some resources to ensure that by beginning of next term, 2015, a three stance latrine was completed, RWECO staff also contributed 10 bags of cement using their staff scheme to support deserving and needy children every of year.

School and parents recieving the items from RWECO and Diocese of Kasese Education Department

Support to the Muhokya Primary School, sanitation program has ignited debates on how many more girls drop out of school because of sharing latrines with boys. As a commitment to ensuring improving the quality of education in Kasese district, RWECO will use the Muhokya Primary School model to replicate the star school model to other schools

Fr. Daudi Kitsa, handing over latrine construction materials to the parents, teachers and pupils at Muhokya Primary school, 12th Nov. 2014

 Many reports indicate the high school drop out in UPE schools as being high amongst girls in upper classes ( P.5-P.7) major as girls experience their menstrual periods they need privacy as evidenced during the training by Senior health workers in Muhokya and Munkunyu Primary Schools in Kasese district. One reason for RWECO supported by ICCO-Cooperation under the star school model is to sensitize the parents, teachers and other stakeholders about the  five stars that make up the school setting including- Sanitation and Environment, Community (Parents), Learners (Learning), Teachers ( Teaching) and Governance ( SMC/PTA).

Come and support schools at Muhokya Primary School, Kasese district.

RWECO Staff

MUHOKYA PRIMARY SCHOOL, KASESE DISTRICT GET TIPS ON HYGIENE AND SANITATION

" A HEALTH MIND IN A HEALTH BODY AND HEALTH ENVIRONMENT" as the English adage goes. For  the last three days, 22nd -24th Oct, 2014,  RWECO with Support from ICCO-Cooperation a Dutch organisation was implementing activities under the Star School Model that was aimed at enhancing and improving quality of Education in school. The parents, teachers and pupils identified the school environment as the entry point for the action. With that in mind, the girl child was also the loci of the activities carried out in the last three days starting 22nd-24th Oct. 2014.

The activities involved training school pupils on hygiene and sanitation, menstrual hygiene management for the girl child and tree planting and fruit growing in the school gardens.

Pupils of Katwe Primary School checking the seedlings delivered to the school by RWECO on 23rd Oct, 2014

Katwe Primary school is located in Katwe-Kabatooro Town Council, the school compound has not shade trees as those planted were destroyed by stray animals from the park. RWECO has delivered a consignment of acacia seedlings and fruit trees to the school.

Pupils of Muhokya Primary School acknowledging receipt of Mathematical sets delivered by RWECO on Friday 24th Oct, 2014

Supporting at this critical moment of preparing for PLE is vital by all stakeholders, Primary 7 pupils sit for their Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) on Monday 3rd - 4th November, 2014. That time is a turning point in the lives of these young children to take a step in their lives, they need moral and physical support from parents, community and well wishers. RWECO has delivered one dozen of Mathematical sets to Muhokya Primary School, Kasese District to work as back up during the PLE period.

Psychological preparation of children is  a must!!

Sr. Theresa Sanza and Sr. Florence Kabugho ( all extream front), had a light moment with the pupils of Muhokya primary school on Friday 24th Oct, 2014. The experienced medical staff in Kasese district are also trained health workers to handle adolescents together with the senior women teachers. The two medical staff, met with the pupils of Muhokya Primary school to prepare the pupils both psychologically to handle menstrual periods as they soon come to young girls . At first I had thought, they were only having messages to girls only but on reaching the school, the team had a brief meeting with the head teacher and senior women teacher, they all agreed that they meet both girls and boys from P.4-P.7. I listened carefully to the messages which was purely reproductive health education, to the teachers it was a topic in Science!!

The day was interactive as both boys and girls opened up, interesting was that, boys opened up more than the girls. While talking about menstrual hygiene management, Sr. Florence asked if any of the girls could explain how they manage, a young girl came up and demonstrated how they use the sanitary pads. Sr. Florence then talked about the types of sanitary pads and how to keep clean during the menstrual periods. The school boys listened keenly and were told to accept these girls since menstrual periods were normal growth of girls as how boys also pass through the same stages of wet dreams.

RWECO will need support to support many other schools who are in need of reproductive health education.

Compiled by RWECO team
Kasese, 24th Oct. 2014

PARENTS OF ADEROLONGO PRIMARY SCHOOL, DOKOLO DISTRICT SHARE A HAPPY MOMENT WITH CHILDREN

The beginning of the month of October 1st, 2014 marked another step in the lives of children of Aderolongo Primary School, Dokolo district when a visiting team of RWECO, LACCODEF, ELEC-U, UJCC, TPO and ICCO-Cooperation visited the school and interacted with the parents, teachers and the pupils. It was a milestone in the lives of the pupils as parents admitted to supporting the school garden  program that had brought joy to the pupils both as beneficiaries and also a learning center to the community. The school garden program was introduced by   LACCODEF a  partner with RWECO, ELEC-U, TPO, UJCC and ICCO-Cooperation.

Aderolongo P.S had an enrollment of 721 Pupils ( 372M, 339F), with 8 teachers. According to the head teacher, the school was founded in 1946 by the Arab traders and is government aided 

Aderolongo P. School, Dokolo District, school garden. Hettie ( R), SMC chair ( 2nd R), Selam, Jennifer (TPO) and a parent ( with head cap)

How Aderolongo P. School has managed to mobilise parents: Each parents contributes 10Kg of maize and 7.5Kg of beans to supplement the produce from the school garden. The school is promoting simsim and sun flower as cash crops.

Pupils of Aderolongo P.S, Dokolo district, sharing a light moment with parents and the visiting team on October 1st, 2014

Books in the hands of the  Children, Hettie ( Middle) interacting with the Library teacher at Aderolongo P.S

Monitoring of school facilities by the visiting team

Sharing a light moment with the school administration at Aderolongo PS, Dokolo District

Projects at Aderolongo Primary School:

1. School gardening that was aimed at ensuring food security to the school, learning aid to the learners and pull factor for the parents to the school also as a source of income
2. Development fund- parents also contribute towards school development
3. Tree planting.

Co-curriculor activities in the school:
1. Games and Sport- net ball, foot ball,
2. Hand work,
3. MDD and creative arts

The visiting team observed that, theAderolongo P. School was supported by government of Uganda through the PRDP, and other development actors including the UMSC who are the founders.

However, the visiting team noted that the school was heavily depended on government and donors and parents needed to develop a sustainability strategy to maintain the school infrastructure, also the school had not presented any candidate in grade one in PLE since 2009. The teachers needed to ensure that candidates were prepared in time if the school must also be on the map of academic excellence in Dokolo district.

Let us support the UPE program by revamping the curricular and introduce skills training as early as primary school.

Kudos

RWECO Team in Dokolo District, Lango Sub region. Uganda
October, 1st, 2014

STUDENT ELABORATES ON THE EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING THROUGH INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

 It is a very fascinating way of life learning through the use of a particular item as the axiom  goes “where you will sit when   you are old shows where  you stood in your  youth” that is through the dot .com. era together  with the use of ICT.

ICT is referred to as the study of the use of computers, the internet, video and technology as a subject in schools and colleges like Saint Leo’s college.

ICT has been used in schools for learning purposes during study sessions and the following facts about ICT have been proved by the educationalists to be of a very grateful use that is the streaming    which is used in the transferring of data in a continuous and even flow which allows users (students) to access and use a file before it has been transmitted.

Furthermore has provided JPEG which stands for “Joint Photographic  Experts Group”  which is a graphical created image using compression techniques to reduce the full size taught in schools and other institutions without excluding the likes of saint Leo’ college.

Additionally to the said ICT contains internet, websites and web browsers   which are used by schools to purchase different scholastics materials and also be used as communication means to important people for example the old boy who donated scholastic materials like text books worthy forty three million shillings to saint Leo’s college which was due to the interaction that was made possible with him on face book which is an element of ICT.

Most importantly it has eased and even made the learning of English language and literature in English rather fascinating. We now can access short stories, novels for   example Oliver Twist, The African child, and the lion and Jewel. Much can be added to the said but less can be subtracted from the use of ICT.

And in a nutshell as it is said that “life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance on it you must keep on riding” So due to the fact that the world will run by the help of ICT and digital migration. Most of the jobs will run by the use of computers, so fellow brothers and sisters get knowledge and more information about ICT and the digital elementary services and devices right  now so that you can enjoy a bright future.   

BY MUHUMUZA DAN  S.2A.