Kyenjojo Citizens speak out on improving Education standards

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 24^th 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.

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.

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