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This week, the Ugandan government announced plans to renovate 42 secondary schools. In Jinja town, the news has been welcomed, but only cautiously. Teachers there say government should first provide new schools before embarking on renovation of existing ones.
The most sought-after government secondary schools in Jinja are not located within the town, but on the outskirts. The schools – Jinja College, Kiira College Butiki, Wairaka College, Wanyange girls and Busoga College Mwiri - are very competitive. For many people in Jinja who want their children to study close to home, it is very hard for them to obtain enrollment in these schools.
In Mpumudde Division, only one government-aided secondary school exists. The situation is worse in Walukuba-Masese Division which has no government-aided secondary school at all.
David Isabirye is a student at Jinja Senior Secondary School, which is located several kilometers from his home in Masese. He says his parents cannot afford to pay for his transport and so he has to make the long trek to and from school everyday.
Isabirye says he is often late in arriving at school. This has affected his performance because he misses out on early morning classes.
It is expected that in July next year Jinja will be granted city status.
Annette Mukyala Kundiko says she hopes this will mean that government will build more schools for Jinja and she will not have to spend so much money on daily transport for her children.
Kundiko says the long distance between her home and her children's schools is a constant nightmare. She is afraid that her daughters will be attacked on the way or fall prey to bad influences.
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Kundiko says the option of taking her children to private secondary schools is out of the question. She dislikes them for their lack of standard school facilities, incompetent teachers and exorbitant fees.
The LC3 chairperson of Walukuba-Masese, Musisi Kibugudhu, says that as government plans its next stage of educational development, it should boost the budget to build new schools.
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However the Jinja District Inspector of Schools, Alice Kafuko, says the matter is more complex than budget reforms or building new schools. She says the standard of education in Jinja has declined over the years because few parents are interested in monitoring their children's progress. She wants more involvement of parents and commitment from the elected leaders to ensure reform.
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