8 Alebtong schools request for government intervention

ALEBTONG – Eight primary schools in Alebtong district are calling for urgent intervention from Ministry of Education and Sports after their roofs were blown off by heavy wind during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The schools calling for urgent intervention include; Telela, Angopet, Amugu Quran, Alela morden, Omarari, Angicakide, Teamyel and Amononeno. The schools also have dilapidated classrooms, staff houses and poor toilet facilities.

“The schools are without a functional water source for the learners and teachers despite water being critical in the fight against COVID-19,” said David Kennedy Odongo, the district LC5 boss.

Late last year, President Yoweri Museveni announced the reopening of the economy and education institutions after two years of lockdown.

According to a report by Communication for Development Uganda, 23,000 teenage pregnancies were recorded in the Lango sub-region during the lockdown as most parents abandoned their roles as guardians to their children.

Approximately, 15 million learners were sent home in March 2020 and resumed classes on 10th January 2022 with challenges ranging from dilapidated structures, collapsed toilets, shortage of classrooms and cracked structures.

Odongo said, the situation is alarming and it is beyond the capacity of the district as it is an emergency.

“The borehole which was serving the schools broke down and we need government intervention to repair it,” he said.

The District Education Officer (DEO), Moses Olwit appealed to development partners to support the rehabilitation and repair of the broken water sources.

He said, there is an urgent need for an emergency fund to support the fixing of the dilapidated and risky classrooms including toilets.

In Apac, the district Secretary for Health and Education, Sam Opira said though the schools have reopened, there is need for the government to undertake major rehabilitations.

“Most of them need rehabilitation but other schools have done due diligence and worked on them,” he said, adding that they advised them to improvise and bring the school to a manageable state to ensure learning takes place.

https://thecooperator.news/covid-19-impact-landlord-evicts-school-over-unpaid-rent-arrears/

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Government launches study materials in Lango sub-region

LANGO – As the government prepares to reopen schools, Ministry of Education and Sports has launched home study materials in Lango region to cover both primary and secondary schools.

The home study materials will cater for primary one, four and senior five to ensure continuous learning, remedial learning and reawaken the learners.

State Minister for Sports, Denis Hamson Obua launched the distribution of the materials which will cover Kole, Alebtong, Lira, Kwania, Apac, Dokolo, Oyam and Amolatar districts.

President Yoweri Museveni closed education institutions last year as a measure to stop the spread of COVID-19 and as a result 15 million learners were sent back home. On the 1st November 2021, the government ordered the institution to resume studies.

Obua said, as they fully plan to re-open schools, stakeholders who include teachers, parents and pupils should prepare so that the exercise doesn’t take them by surprise.

Obua expressed concern over teenage pregnancy in the country saying children are not safe in the hands of their parents except in school.

He said children have become unsafe which means parents have abandoned their responsibility to guide their children.

“If children are not safe because schools were closed as a result of Covid-19, where else do you think they will be safe,” Obua asked.

According to the police and local leadership in Alebtong, 2,190 cases of teenage pregnancies were recorded in the district within the period of January to July, over 2500 in Kwania, 1,800 in Apac, 2,074 in Amolatar and more than 2,000 in Otuke.

“If nothing is done to save the situation, it will be worse in the next few months,” said Alebtong LC5 Chairperson, David Kennedy Odongo who is also the Chairperson of Lango LCV Chairpersons.

He also advised the government to fix the roofs of four primary schools in the district whose roofs were blown off.

“Alebtong district is more than ready to teach effectively if the situation allows next year,” he says.

He identified the schools whose roofs were blown off as Baropiro, Omarari, Amononeno and Amugu quran.

He said the district is setting up village education committees, parishes and sub-counties to mobilize the community to embrace education.

On secondary education, Odongo said if the government is to improve on sciences, they should build laboratories in all the schools in the sub-region and equip them.

“Unless we have functional laboratories in our schools, science will still be history,” he said.

https://thecooperator.news/prime-minister-nabbajja-restores-hope-on-bunyoro-university-demands/

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