The new infrastructure under the Consolidating School Infrastructure (CSI) project of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) was handed over to the school management committee and local leadership in a gathering in Pachilo Gunya primary school in July 2014. Pupils, teachers and the local community were impressed with the quality of construction and the positive impact it has on teaching and learning in the school.
To commemorate the completion of the CSI project and handover of infrastructure to government, the Norwegian Ambassador to Uganda, H.E Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther handed over keys for the new classrooms to Amuru District Chairman, Hon. Atube Omach. Looking on (centre) is Lamin Manjang, NRC Uganda Country Director. Photo: NRC
The Royal Norwegian Embassy funded the CSI project. Speaking at the gathering, the Norwegian Ambassador to Uganda, H.E Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther, said that the funds for the project are part of the donation that the Norwegian Government asked Uganda to refund following a misappropriation in the Office of the Prime Minister. According to the Ambassador, it took a lot of negotiation with the Norwegian Government to have the funds redirected back to Northern Uganda and he commended NRC for the efforts put into this.
Mr. Lamin Manjang, NRC’s Country director in Uganda, says the objective of the project has been to support schools by offering them safe and protective learning environments near children’s homes, with adequate gender segregated sanitation facilities and residential accommodation for teachers. He adds that the project has reached hard to access return areas. Mr. Lamin disclosed that an assessment of the critical situation in the field that was done prior to the project found that there were children who had their classes under trees, in incomplete structures and in some cases incomplete grass thatch houses. When it started raining, they had to stop schooling and go home.
Each the 104 classrooms has been furnished with 18 three-sitter pupils’ desks, 2 teachers’ tables each with a chair and 2 chalk board, one at the front and another at the back of the classroom. Photo: NRC
“The successful completion of the CSI project has proved that there are alternative ways of enabling resources to reach the beneficiaries by passing corruption systems. So looking at alternative channels like working with Non-Governmental Organisations has been a way of ensuring that funds reach beneficiaries”, says Mr. Charles Wabwire, Senior Grants and Reporting Manager for NRC Uganda.
The Hon. Atubo Mark Anthony, Local Council Five chairperson Amuru District, commended the Norwegian Government and tax payers for the goodwill and pledged the local Government support in sustaining the facilities.
At the handover gathering, Hon. Cos Kamanda Bitarangaya, Minister of State for Primary Education instructed Chief Administrative Officers to immediately deploy qualified teachers who are already on Government pay roll to the community schools. He promised that the Government will officially register the schools and take over management including payment of teachers.
Hon. Kamanda Bataringaya, Minister of State for Primary Education (centre) pledged government commitment to deploy teachers and take over management of the new school infrastructure. Photo: NRC
Through the CSI project, teaching and learning processes have improved greatly in the benefiting schools. Mr. Bongomin Santo, the head teacher of Opolacen Community primary school, says that pupil and teacher attendance in school has increased since the teachers are more present and hence have more time to plan classes and attend to pupils’ needs. In Lorunya Community primary school, the number of learners has gone from 373 to 463 within two months and the head teacher, Aol Susan, attributes it to the new structures. Senor female teachers are grateful for the design of gender segregated sanitary facilities saying cases of dropout among female learners will be minimized.
The CSI project is the last project that the NRC implements in Northern Uganda. NRC operations in the region will stop by the end of August 2014 after 17 years. NRC will continue soliciting for funds to support refugees from South Sudan currently based in the West Nile Sub-region of Uganda.
