The government started a countrywide initiative to build seed schools in Sub counties without government secondary schools, in a bid to increase access to free secondary education.
117 out of 259 proposed schools have been commissioned to operate as day schools. However, most of the head teachers of these schools have converted some classrooms, laboratories and libraries into boarding facilities.
According to the parents and students in these seed schools, the boarding facilities help save their children from walking tediously long distances to and from school.
Nyakwae Seed SS, for example, is meant to serve parishes of Opopongo, located 40km away from the school, Rogom 10km, Kobuli 8km, Apeipopong 15km, and Oreta which hosts the school. The farthest day student walks about 16km to school.
Whereas the government insisted that boarding facilities would be an extra burden to parents in terms of fees, at Nyakwae Seed SS, parents agreed with the school management committee to contribute Shs 150,000 for their children.
The money caters for firewood, grinding maize supplied by World Food Programme (WFP) and parents termly, tomatoes, salt, and other spices. WFP also provides free cooking oil.
James Emuge, a senior four student, who joined the school last month, applauded the school for opening an ‘illegal’ boarding section. Emuge has been studying at privately-owned John Eluru Memorial SS in Kapelebyong where he couldn’t afford the termly fees of Shs 250,000 and boarding at Shs 290,000.
“When my parents learned that Nyakwae Seed charges Shs 150,000 only for boarding, it was some relief. It was also safe for me since Karimojong often pass via the road to our home in Kobuli village after raiding animals and proceed to Moroto,” Emuge said. “They don’t only raid animals but also kill people along the way during daytime. So, a boarding section was the best option for me.”
Nyakwae Seed SS was originally a community school in 2010 before it collapsed in 2012 due to inevitable conditions which could not be contained. In 2019, the school was selected as one of the 117 seed schools to be constructed under the Uganda Inter-Governmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) phase one program. It is not only the first government seed school but also the only secondary school in Nyakwae sub-county in Abim district.
The sub-county has only five government primary schools – something that has not attracted private proprietors at primary and secondary levels. As a result, most P7 leavers have been either admitted to Abim SS located about 35km from the new school or Morulem Girls SS, about 25km from Nyakwae.
Abim has 10 sub-counties, six town councils, 72 parishes and 534 villages. The district has seven government-aided schools and one private secondary school. At the primary level, 38 parishes lack primary schools.
The District Education Officer for Abim, Charles Dickens Owiny, said if boarding sections cannot work in other districts, the Karamoja sub-region should be cleared to have dormitories at every seed school.
“Children learn much better without interference when they are in boarding because some Karimojong here still do not value education. This intervention is timely and I believe it is going to improve on the education services in this sub-county,” Owiny said. He added: “Girls would be safer in boarding section during the learning period. There are too many teenage pregnancies when they are at home. Also, in most settlements where the children come from, they are faced with a lot of insecurity from cattle rustlers but when they come to school, their security is guaranteed.”
In January, the school had registered 293 prospective students but only 90 turned up due to the lack of a boarding section. Okech wondered whether the other students enrolled in other schools or dropped out of school.
“This school will not be effectively utilized if the boarding section is closed. To catch up with the syllabus, we converted some new classrooms and the library that are empty to house the students. Currently, all of them sleep on the floor but it is better than trekking long distances and falling into traps of cattle rustlers,” Okech said. He added that the sub-county has inadequate means of transport – no taxis, boda bodas, and a few bicycles.
When asked how students will utilize the library, now dormitory, Okech had this to say.
“We are still using some small office space in the office of the director of studies since we have a few textbooks. When we get textbooks in large quantities meant for the library, we shall see what to do. In the meantime, the parents have agreed to lay some bricks and construct some dormitories for the girls, first, just in case the library space is urgently needed.”
Meanwhile, both Ayato and Emuge confessed that staying at school has come with some challenges. Studying largely ends during daytime since the school lacks electricity.
“At night, we use small torches with battery cells since the school banned use of candles in the dormitory. It’s also unlikely that someone can revise with ease using a torch throughout the night,” Emuge said.
Meanwhile, Owiny urged government to increase capitation grants sent to secondary schools in hard-to-reach areas like Abim for effective management of schools. Currently, the capitation grant for USE schools is Shs 57,000 (O-level) and Shs 90,000 (A-level) per child, per term.
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