Sembabule is hunting for 1 billion shillings to reconstruct 100 dilapidated Universal Primary Education-UPE schools. Some of the schools were destroyed by torrential rains. The affected schools include Lusaana Primary school, St. Clement primary school, Meeru Meeru primary school, Bukasa primary school, Sagazi primary school and Kanoni primary school amongst others.
Charles Nsubuga Kiberu, the Sembabule district Chief Administrative officer says that they need shillings 1 billion to build new classroom bocks in the affected schools. He says that currently pupils in the affected school attend classes under tree shades. He says that in the 2011/2012 financial year they received shillings 200 million that was spent on construction classrooms and toilets in six schools.
Kiberu says that he has already appealed to government and other development partners to come to the rescue of Sembabule district.
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St. Clement primary school in Ntusi and Lusaana primary school in Lwebitakuli Sub County which were recently hit by heavy rains, over 700 pupils have stopped attending lessons because of rains. Leonia Wizera, head teacher St. Clement Primary school says that only the P7 pupils attend lessons inside a classroom.
She says that she has written to Sembabule district authorities about the lack of classroom but nothing has been done. Wizera says that even the P7 classroom block is at the verge of collapsing because of shoddy work.
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Asafu Amumpaire and Apollo Otafiire, both primary 7 pupils at St. Clement Primary school are worried that they may not complete the syllabus because of the disruptions in the school. Otafiire says that they have spent an entire week without studying English and mathematics because of the current rains.
At Lusaana Church of Uganda primary school in Lwebitakuli Sub County, the pupils are also grappling with lack of classrooms. John Kamugisha, the School management committee chairperson says parents have started withdrawing their children because of lack of shelter. He says that out of the 500 pupils two year ago, the school has remained with only about 150 pupils.
Kamugisha says that several teachers have also resigned and left the school because of lack of shelter and urged government to expedite the release of funds to save their village since Lusana is the only school in the area. Gonzaga Ssewankambo, a senior educationist in Sembabule says the lack of classrooms affects teaching and learning.
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Sembabule district has over 250 primary schools under Universal primary education program.#
