Emmanuel Kizza (in blue suit), the Chairperson of Uganda National Teachers’ Union, Nakaseke branch and other teachers at function to mark Teachers’ Day organised at Nakaseke CORE PTC
Teachers in Nakaseke district are now sleeping in classrooms due to the lack of staff quarters in schools.
There are 934 teachers deployed in 114 Universal Primary Schools across Nakaseke district. But according to the District Education Department, less than 300 teachers have access to staff units, leaving over 600 struggling to find accommodation.
The affected UPE schools are Bugabo, Lujjumbi, Kijjumba, Buggala, Kyetume Tokyika, Mayirikiti, Natigi, Luteete, Kinoni, Kikamulo and Kigege Primary schools among others.
Martin Kirunda, the headteacher of Natigi Primary School, says that he sleeps in a room designated as the headmaster’s office. He further explains that their classrooms were partitioned with tarpaulins; one side is now used for accommodation, while the other is used for learning purposes, a move intended to ensure that the school calendar is not affected by the lack of housing.
Andrew Lukanga, the headteacher of Kinoni Primary School, says that teachers at his school sleep in temporary houses made of only iron sheets which were left behind by workers of the company that constructed the school years ago.
Emmanuel Kizza, the Chairperson of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union in Nakaseke says that in some areas, teachers have rented rooms about 10 kilometres away from the schools which has affected their output.
Yesterday, as teachers in Nakaseke joined others to mark World Teachers’ Day, they appealed to the district to prioritize the construction of staff houses at schools. The day was marked under the theme “The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers.’’
Nakaseke District Education Officer Stephen Batanudde says that the district receives between 200-250 million Shillings every financial year under the School Facility Grant but they resolved to use the funds on constructing classroom blocks and toilet facilities since this was most pressing at the time.
Batanudde asked the Central government to increase funding to the district because its located within hard to reach and stay area.
According to the Nakaseke district budget estimates, 14.3 billion out of 33 billion Shillings will go into the education department. However, the biggest portion of the budget is to cover the payment of teachers’ salaries.
-URN
