Africa-Press – Uganda. Naminage Primary School in Kamuli District has been plunged into a crisis after rainstorm ravaged a staff house accommodating two teachers.
The house at the 108-year-old Church of Uganda-founded school was struck on Monday at around 5pm as both teachers had gone to till their gardens ahead of the second planting season.
The head teacher, Mr Christopher Muwereza, said he is “totally confused” because the storm hit at a time when the school is in a cash crisis and some of his 23 teachers are in rent arrears, while the fate of the 1,567 pupils remains uncertainty looms over
“I am totally confused because these very committed teachers are now displaced. The teachers’ children, who were in the house, ran to nearby classes for fear of the wall collapsing on them when they saw the storm shaking the roof,” Mr Muwereza said.
Mr Muwereza says he is contemplating reversing the school priorities and requesting the District Education Office to change from yet-to-be procured classroom renovations to the staff house “as a matter of urgency”.
The District Education Office has reportedly allocated funds for the renovation of two classroom blocks but is yet to procure the services.
Mr Patrick Wakabi, a retired head teacher of the school, recalls that the staff house which has been blown off evokes fond memories of late Bishop Cyprian Bamwoze as it was the first building for Church leaders before it was given to the school.
“That house was a treasure to Bishop Bamwoze; whenever he would come for Pastoral work, he would remind whoever cared to understand the school history and the need to preserve and maintain that house as the school and Church heritage which has now become a challenge,” Mr Wakabi said.
Mr Hussein Mitala, the chairperson Kamuli Primary Schools Head teachers’ Association, said this was a catastrophe in waiting and an eye-opener to the government to consider infrastructure renovations and constructions in traditional schools, saying most of its buildings are condemned.
He said: “This is a ‘whistleblower incident’ that traditional schools’ infrastructure has become Dangerous Physical Structures (DPIs) and the government should reconsider its programmes to renovate and construct staff houses and classrooms.”
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