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The headteacher is now making a desperate appeal for the government to urgently intervene and resolve this crisis.
A report from Lwengo district highlights the severe challenges faced by schools struggling with inadequate infrastructure, which directly impacts students' ability to learn. The situation at Nakateete Secondary School in Kyazanga Town Council is a stark example.
The school, with a population of 2,000 students, is grappling with a critical shortage of classrooms. Despite a government pledge to construct a new building, the promise remains unfulfilled. This has led to a dire situation where some students are forced to take their examinations outdoors due to a lack of sitting space.
With 310 students crammed into just seven classrooms, the severe overcrowding is disrupting the education of all learners. The school's headteacher, Kabbuggu Hamuza, explained that he has written numerous letters to authorities regarding the planned construction but has been met with silence.
The overcrowding creates a logistical nightmare during exam periods. The headteacher expressed his distress, stating that the disruption caused by moving students around is "unimaginable." To manage, some students are seated outside to take their exams, while others are squeezed into a single classroom with their peers.
The headteacher is now making a desperate appeal for the government to urgently intervene and resolve this crisis.
The students themselves voiced their frustration and humiliation at being displaced from their classrooms during such important moments. Furthermore, some of the structures being used are in a poor state and do not meet standard safety requirements, raising fears that they could collapse during a heavy storm.
In a separate but related issue, the school is also facing a crisis of trust. Some students were found protesting by occupying the headteacher's office. They accused him of misusing their school fees. Over 40 students staged a demonstration, demanding official receipts for their payments.
This financial dispute had an immediate academic consequence: these students were initially barred from taking their exams because they lacked essential materials like mathematical sets, calculators, and school identification cards, which they argued were supposed to be provided by the school. They were only permitted to sit for the exams after the protest.
Consequently, many of those who eventually took the exams did so under a cloud of frustration and protest, deeply affecting their morale.
