Africa-Press – Uganda. The enrolment of pupils at Lamogi-Omenykimac Primary School in Paiula Sub-county, Pader District, has doubled following the construction of a modern multi-million classroom block at the institution.
The new block has three classrooms, a store and an office.
Mr Benson Otto, the head teacher, told Daily Monitor at the weekend that the building has changed parents’ perception about the school.
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“Before this building, the enrolment was at only 200 learners but when the construction of the building started, parents began bringing their children back,” Mr Otto said, adding that the enrolment has since climbed to 667 pupils.
He, however, said the school lacks enough teachers, classroom blocks and furniture.
“The district education office has sent us two teachers to make us eight,” Mr Otto said.
When Daily Monitor visited the school, the dilapidated structures did not have chalkboards and furniture.
This newspaper also established at the start of last year, World Vision Uganda in partnership with Sanlam Foundation Trust (SFT) embarked on building the Shs162.2m structure and also stock the school with furniture and other learning tools.
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The funding is part of the Shs670million Pader Education Strengthening Project (PESP) that the organisations injected in the district to improve access to education.
Mr Eric Okonye, the World Vision’s regional programme manager, said a past assessment indicated that many schools in the district still struggle with lack of learning tools, dilapidated or no facilities, which has resulted in poor performance and an increased illiteracy levels.
“The environment in which teaching takes place is a critical contributor to the children’s capacity to not only learn while in class but also attend school in the first place,” he said.
“In Pader alone, we are revamping 10 schools, including Dagodwong P/S, where we are establishing new classrooms but we are doing the same in more than 50 schools across the country,” Mr Okonye added.
Mr Emmanuel Okware, the Pader deputy RDC, applauded the project, saying revamping learning in the district requires collective effort from all stakeholders.
“There is a lot that needs to be done that is beyond having a new classroom block, which ranges from boosting teachers capacity by training of more teachers and opening more literacy centers in the area,” Mr Okware said.
Mr Jason Evans, the World Vision national director, said dilapidated infrastructure can disrupt lessons and makes learners more likely to abscond or even drop out of school.
“Teachers too do not have any permanent residence within or nearby the school, with the majority trekking over 5km to and from school. This has led to teachers’ absenteeism, especially during the rainy season as the roads tend to be impassable,” he said.
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Mr Evans added that World Vision seeks to support the education of 2.5 million children in the country through providing a conducive learning environment.
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