Ntoroko district has received Shs5.2 billion to establish two seed schools in Kibuuku town council and Bweramule sub-county in Ntoroko district.
In the sub-counties of Bweramule and Kibuuku town council, two seed schools will be set up with help from the World Bank’s UGIFT project. These schools will be in Bweramule and Kibuuku.
The construction of the two facilities will be undertaken by Prutaz Construction and Vocational School Training (U) Limited at a cost of Shs5.2 billion over a period of eight years.
According to the district leadership, the district has only four government-aided schools, namely Nombe SS, Karugutu S.S, Rwebisengo S.S, and Kanara Town Council, while the rest of the sub-counties and town councils have no secondary schools, as stipulated by government policy to have at least one secondary school in every sub-county.
William Kasoro, the chairman of the Ntoroko district, says that the lack of secondary schools in the district has hurt the education sector in the area. Since most of the sub-counties don’t have secondary schools, only 30% of learners who pass their primary leaving exams go on to secondary school.
Kasoro says even the 30% who join secondary education end up dropping out of school due to the long distances travelled by learners. As for girls, many end up conceived by men who offer to transport them to various schools, and others end up in child marriages.
However, Kasoro is optimistic that the establishment of the two seed schools in Kibuuku town council and Bweramule sub-county will address the impending challenges related to education in the district.
According to Charles Otai, the district Chief Administrative Officer of Ntoroko, the ministry of education and the solicitor general have cleared the contract agreement with the construction company, and the remaining part is for the contractor to start work on the two projects by mid-September.
With the establishment of two seed schools in the district, Kanara, Rwebisengo, Butungama and Karugutu sub-counties remain out of the equation, grappling without secondary schools.
