Hardtimes for Education in Kayunga

Kayunga is one of those districts where secondary school education faces immense challenges. The district has very few privately owned secondary schools and only seven government-aided secondary schools which include St. Kalemba, Bbaale, Kanjuki, Kangulumira Public, Nangabi, Ndeeba and Busaana Secondary Schools.

The problem is that most of these schools are located in the remotest areas of the district which are not easily accessible because of the poor road network and the teachers that are posted there by the ministry of education end up not going there. Luckily, the government has taken note of the situation and it has been confirmed that most of the roads in Kayunga district will soon be repaired.

To ensure that education reaches even those in the far-flung areas of the district, and to make sure that the Universal Secondary Education is embraced by all in the district, the government has for example constructed a school in Galilaya Sub-Country called Galilaya Seed School at about 86km from Kayunga district.

The school has been blessed with two new blocks (two more will be constructed as well), a fully equipped laboratory and library, modern Ventilated Improved Pit latrines (VIPs), a staffroom and nice furniture.

Galilaya Seed School is a pioneer school in Galilaya Sub-County. And although the school opened two years ago and so far has only S.1 and S.2, it has inspired many parents who previously had a lukewarm attitude towards education and more so to girl-child education, to send their children to school.

However, boys still far outweigh girls in class numbers and there's a numbing lack of teachers. This is largely attributed to the fact that many teachers who are posted there shun the place saying it's too remote. Besides, there are no houses for rent neither are there staff quarters and therefore those who would willingly go there are impelled to chicken out figuring hard times they could face.

In spite of these challenges, the school's headmistress, Ms. Loy Kulaba, is optimistic that things will get better and that teachers, especially female teachers will come, and also that parents will stop marrying off their girls at a tender age and instead send them to school.

"We are blessed to have very clever students who I believe can ably compete against those in the so-called prominent schools in urban areas," she said, adding that her students are doing well the core subjects like Maths, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Geography and English which are considered by many to be very hard.

So yes, the seed project, a government initiative that started in 2002 with financial support from the African Development Bank to aid schools in rural areas, is already bearing fruits in Kayunga district. It's not clear however how the district fairs compared to her neighbours Apac, Kamuli, Mukono, Luwero, Nakasongola and Jinja as far as education is concerned.

But as the district is strategically located in central Uganda with a virgin land and great promise of smooth infrastructure; and with programs like Plan for Modernization of Agriculture, Poverty Action Fund and the District Development Project, education like other sectors in Kayunga is surely bright.

Already, the World Vision and African Evangelical Enterprise (AEE) have too helped construct schools and given support to the needy students. It is left with the politicians in the area, the local authorities and all the natives Kayunga to play their parts in building their district until it gets to the mountaintop.