At Kabarole Adventist Secondary School, the Head teacher, Joshua Kagaba, says that to enable candidates sit their first paper, he was forced to use half of the teachers’ salary to buy laboratory equipment and chemicals.
Joshua Kagaba, the head teacher Kabarole Adventist Secondary School, says the closure of schools due to Covid-19 occasioned the worst financial crisis for them.
Private Secondary Schools in Fort Portal Tourism City are
struggling to conduct practical exams due to financial constraints. Senior
candidates kicked off their Uganda Certificate of Education – UCE exams with
their physics practical paper this morning.
However, some of the private schools in Fort Portal say that
due to the closure of schools resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, they are no
longer able to meet all their financial obligations since they were solely
relying on fees paid by students.
At Fort Portal Senior Secondary School, the Headteacher,
Regan Kateregga, says that even though they have managed to reopen for the
semi-candidate classes, they are struggling to raise funds to buy laboratory
equipment and chemicals that are urgently needed by the candidates.
Kateregga explains that the chemicals and apparatus needed
for science subjects like Biology, Physics and Chemistry are costly for the
school.
//Cue in: “Government can assist…
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He appeals to the government to fulfil its promise of extending financial
support to private schools to enable them to deal with the effects of the pandemic.
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At Kabarole Adventist Secondary School, the Headteacher, Joshua Kagaba, says
that to enable candidates to sit their first paper, he was forced to use half of
the teachers’ salary to buy laboratory equipment and chemicals.
//Cue in: “Senior Four exams…
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He says this was also not an easy decision to make since he had to first seek the
teachers’ permission to allow him to delay their salaries so that students can sit
their final exams.
//Cue in: “So I had…
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Kagaba notes that this has been the worst financial crisis they have ever faced
as school, adding that he is worried the situation may worsen if the government
does not intervene.
Countrywide, at least 333,889 candidates from 3,935 centers are expected to sit
for this year’s UCE examinations.
The candidates
would have sat their examination last year around October. However, the
COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the school calendar.
