New structures inspire Bugonya learners to stay in school

Patience Nakato is a P6 pupil at Kibanda Primary School, built in the hills of Gadumire Sub-county, Kaliro District. She joined the school a year ago after seeing a new block at the school.

“I used to go to a different school which is far from home because there were no classrooms here. I would pass here and see pupils studying under a tree which was discouraging. Last year, two new buildings were put up which encouraged me to come here. I now come to school early as I do not have to walk a long distance. I also love attending school,” Nakato says.

It is quite a scene as Nakato and other young learners emerge from a class, chatting and laughing on top of their voices. It is break time and the pupils are rushing to grab a cup of porridge.

As you get closer school, two vibrant classroom blocks emerge, with a church building to the far right. One of the classroom block structures was a donation from ATC Uganda, as part of their 10-year anniversary celebration.

Previously, the school wrestled with the huge task of providing a conducive learning environment for its pupils.

Mr. Joshua Mawanda, the school’s headmaster, vividly recalls the bleak days.

“When I joined the school, we only had one permanent block of two classrooms and a barely functional iron sheet shade. Children were crammed into spaces separated only by poles holding the shade. It was an uphill struggle to conduct a class,” he remarks.

The school’s scarce resources stretched thin over its 300 pupils. Three classes were conducted under the trees, their lessons disturbed by distractions from the surrounding environment, while two classes were forced into a makeshift iron sheet shade lacking partitions.  The school also grappled with inadequate sanitation facilities, a solitary pit latrine servicing both pupils and teachers.

Joyce Namusabi, a teacher at the school, recalls how the lack of privacy, particularly during girls’ menstrual periods, contributed to rising dropout rates and teenage pregnancies.

“When I joined in 2015, my class used to seat under a tree. Most of the classes were conducted outside and if it rained we all converged inside the two classrooms,” she recalls.

John Wambwa, the deputy headteacher and Senior Male teacher added, “we used to have rampant absenteeism and school drop out due to the poor condition of the school.”

Until ATC Uganda championed transformative change in communities through launching classroom block projects, targeting host communities that were near  its towers.

“In 2022 we launched the pioneer project, a two-classroom block which focuses on supporting underprivileged communities that host our towers. Our aim is to elevate educational standards by contributing the necessary infrastructure required to improve learning conditions for our children,” says Dorothy  Ssemanda, the Chief Executive Officer at ATC Uganda.

She explained that Kibanda Primary School proved to be more deserving and was the first beneficiary of a newly constructed classroom block, accompanied with sanitary facilities. The classes were furnished with 100 desks, adorning the classrooms .

As a result of increase in the classes and enabling structures, the school witnessed  an increase in its student population, soaring from 300 to 800 within a year. The inviting ambiance of the new classrooms, a stark contrast to the old, has drawn students who had previously shied away from school.

“Parents and the community have picked interest in the school and our enrollment has increased because the children can study comfortably in classes. Our school is now one of the best in the district due to this generous act,” Mr. Wambwa says.

Mr. Mawanda, the Headmaster says the infrastructural facelift has reenergized the pupils pursuit of education. Girls, especially, experienced a profound transformation.

Equipped with a dedicated bathroom, they can attend school confidently during their menstrual cycles, significantly reducing absenteeism.

Ms. Betty Nangobi, the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) Chairperson expressed gratitude for the structures which have changed the fortunes of the school and the community.

“As parents, we are happy and our school is among the best in Kaliro district and our children are able to keep in school,” she says.