TORORO – World vision Uganda in partnership with Korean communities have injected Shs 4.2 billion towards the construction of classroom blocks, Stanza pit latrines, boreholes and teachers staff houses in Tororo district.
During the major commissioning of the facilities in Paya sub-county on Friday, Mr. Jeremiah Nyagah the operations director World Vision Uganda disclosed that the facilities are intended at increasing access to improved sanitation, quality maternal health, school learning environment and increase school enrolment and retention within the programme area of operations.
He said the facilities have been spread across the schools that are within the coverage area guided by the findings of a feasibility study conducted by the organization that indicated that most of the benefiting areas were in great need of facilities that would help to improve on service delivery and for this; case classrooms, sanitary facilities and maternal health care facilities respectively.
He appealed to the district leadership to strengthen monitoring and supervision of the handed over facilities to guarantee their safety citing incidences where development partners have established investments like structures and they end up being vandalized.
While jointly commissioning the facilities at Sengo primary school in Paya Sub County, the deputy resident district commissioner Were Yahaya thanked World Vision for partnering with the district to help improve on the livelihoods of vulnerable communities and challenged the communities to use the facilities with a lot of consciences.
Mr. Yahaya said the government is increasing and improving equitable access to quality education at all levels. Specifically, increasing net enrolment ratios for primary, transition rates from primary to secondary, maintain enrolment numbers in public universities for Government sponsored students and improving access to physical education and sports.
‘’Am sure that the provision of these facilities will play a big role in improving effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of the education services including reducing teacher, head teacher and pupil absenteeism, reducing repetition and dropout rates for primary, improving performance and participation for secondary’’ he said.
He directed local council leaders within areas that have benefited to work closely with the police to ensure that the facilities are not abused as it has been done and anyone who dares should be dealt with.
The secretary for production in the district who represented the district LC5 chairperson Francis Olweny requested all the schools that have benefited from the support to work extra hard and translate them into results.
He said there should not be any other excuse for schools to continue performing poorly when facilities have been provided to the school.
Commenting on the constructed maternity at Paya health centre III, Olweny tasked leaders to work with the health workers to make sure that mothers go and deliver at the facility to reduce on maternal deaths.
However, the Principal Assistant Chief Administrative officer in the district Jackson Osudo pledged total support to conduct monitoring and supervision of the facilities but also urged the immediate supervisors especially head teachers and health in charges to make it a point that they own facilities.
He noted that the benefiting schools had faced a lot of challenges where sometimes situations forced their school administration to conduct classes under trees and at worst dismiss them when the weather worsens.
He said whereas the facilities bear World Vision’s logo, its does not belong to them but they are meant to facilitate the schools and health facilities to improve on their efficiency to offer services to the people.
According to Scovia Apio the head teacher Nyasirenge primary school, children trekked long distances to look for water and this greatly affected their performance and forced some of the girls to drop out of school especially when they start menstrual periods.
She thanked the organization for partnering with the school which partnership has helped the school get classrooms, pit latrines, furniture and a water source.
