By URN
Leaders and residents of Kimengo sub-county in Masindi district are demanding a government secondary school.
According to the residents and leaders, ever since the inception of the sub-county, they have not had a secondary school in the area. The situation has compelled children who complete primary education to drop out of school due to the lack of secondary schools in the area.
The sub-county only has two government-aided primary schools. They include Kimengo Primary School with an enrollment of 639 pupils and Kayera Primary School with 487 pupils.
According to the residents, the nearby secondary schools are situated between 10 to 50 miles in Masindi town and Nakasongola respectively, which their children cannot afford to travel long distances daily.
The situation has also led to an increase in early marriages especially among the girls in the area.
The sub-county has more than 30,000 people. Bright Mugume, the Kimengo sub-county LCIII Chairperson says they have severally petitioned the government to construct for them a seed school in vain.
According to Mugume, the situation has forced many learners to drop out of school after completing Primary Seven.
Eriya Mwesigwa, the Kimengo sub-county council speaker says due to a lack of a secondary school, most children have dropped out of school and are engaged in child labor working in various farms belonging to investors in the area.
He says the situation has dwindled academic standards in the sub-county. He says as leaders, they have been lobbying the government for a public secondary school for long in vain.
Rose Kyalisiima, a resident of Nyakarongo village and a parent says that many children drop out after primary seven because the parents cannot afford to send them to private secondary schools.
Emmanuel Awiyo, the Deputy Chief Administrative officer-CAO Masindi plans to establish a public secondary school in the sub-county area tasking the sub-county leadership to avail 5 acres of land for the establishment of the school.
He says under the Uganda Inter-Government Fiscal Transfer Programme, a secondary school will be constructed in the area if land is availed.
Kassim Kabagonza, the Masindi LCV Vice Chairperson says that as leaders they are aware of the problem adding that they have presented all the required paperwork needed for the establishment of a seed school in the area to the government.
According to government policy, each sub-county in Uganda should have a public secondary school.
