Having invested much in improving studying environment for years Kira Municipal Council is now changing the focus to invest in teachers’ accommodation. Since elevation to the Municipal status the Municipal Education focus has been on construction of classroom blocks with staff room, provision of furniture and improving sanitation conditions and so far cases of learning from dilapidated structures or under trees are no more in Kira.

Commissioning a two classroom block with Office and a two units staff quarters at Nambogo primary school Kijabijjo Assistant RDC for Kira Division Ms. Sharon Abu praised Kira Municipality for venturing into addressing the not only learners need but also those of Teachers. “Putting in place good building for learning while ignoring concerns of teachers accommodation cannot improve the academic performance and so, am very grateful that the two have been addressed jointly and I promise to do all it takes to engage all the stakeholders in Education to ensure that we lobby for more projects aiming at improving the Education sector in Kira” she promised.

The two units self contained structure was constructed by Bestie Hostels Ltd under the Municipal Engineer supervision at the cost of 139 million shillings with funding from School Facilitation Grant.FY 2024/25 under Contract Ref No. kira712/WRKS/2024-25/00005.

Staff quorters at Nambogo PS Kijabijjo

Mr. Micheal Ssenkusu the Municipal Education Officer that currently the most challenging factor to Education is the high cost of accommodation in Kira. “Kira is very urban and so the completion for shelter makes accommodation very expensive and once someone does not sleep well his or her output will obviously not be good and if you talk of upscale areas with descent facilities a teacher’s full salary may not even enough to pay a month. For those who are committing from their homes also find themselves spending much money and time on transit due to traffic jam in the area and so the only option is to get funds and build for our teachers to stay around their workplace” he said.

Development partners playing the center role

Hon. Rose Nakafero Ssuka the Executive Secretary for Education and Health says that it’s the role of the government to provide the public with social services such as Education and Health but standing alone the government cannot manage to carry the cross and that’s why private players and development partners come in. “Private players in Kira are dominating the education sector and we appreciate their contribution only that their services can only be afforded by the haves and so the cross to provide for the have nots and the low income earners comes back to our shoulders and this is where we appreciate religious bodies a lot on whose land many of the government schools are”.

Hon Rose Nakafeero Ssuka Secretary Educ and Health

Providing a throwback she says that as far as improving the studying environment is concerned a lot has been achieved. “Despite the fact that Kira is urban few years back we had children studying under dilapidated structures just like those upcountry in hard to reach areas, due to the highly enrollment others were just congested in small classrooms, the sanitation was alarming among others which had made many parents to shun away from government aided schools to private ones with conducive environment”. Adding on that, schools like Buwaate C/U primary schools had almost shutdown and the owners were of the land were about to change the use of the land and this was giving a very nasty image to the public that the government was failing to provide the required facilities in its schools and it would be shameless for the same to go and enforce it in private ones”

Ssuka says that working with partners such as Rotary International, Religious bodies, AL JISR Foundation among others have been so supportive to the Municipality in that they have built classrooms and other facilities in many schools around. “Kimwannyi UMEA was at the verge of losing its land to grabbers and given the fact that the number of learners was dwindling but after the intervention of Al JISR foundation following the lobbying by our Mayor facilities worth over a billion shillings were constructed and the enrollment increased, each of the Rotary Club in Kira has either constructed a classroom block or sanitation facility relieving the Municipality from the burden. Going to schools like Kamuli Church of Uganda Parents and Old students mobilized resources and put in a multibillion structure and so, currently we are better with classrooms and furniture and, going forward focus is to be on building teachers’ Houses” she confirmed.