Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /usr/www/users/urnnet/a/story.php on line 43 Two Karamoja Schools Fail to Turn up for National School Festival over Funds :: Uganda Radionetwork
The schools are Chepkararat Primary School in Amudat district and Kakamar Primary School in Kaabong district. They are among the five schools from the region considered for the National competition which kicked off on Monday in Kyotera district.
Two schools from the Karamoja sub-region have failed to travel to the National School Music Dance and Drama competitions in Kyotera due to a lack of funds.
The schools are Chepkararat Primary School in Amudat district and Kakamar Primary School in Kaabong district. They are among the five schools from the region considered for the National competition which kicked off on Monday in Kyotera district.
Amudat District Education Officer Anthony Lam Lowot says that they needed 30 million Shillings to facilitate the team to Kyotera district. This was to cover the cost of transport, feeding and incidentals. But, the district only managed to secure five million Shillings, yet the government has not yet released district funding for the first quarter of the financial year.
Lowot said that the district was considered a special representative at the National competitions because they have never participated in the music festival, but hastens to add that the offer was in vain since they could not facilitate their team.
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Meanwhile, Kakamar Primary School qualified for the National competition after coming fourth during the regional competition held in Napak district last week. But David Orit, the School Choirmaster told URN that they needed at least 20 million Shillings to facilitate the learners at the National Tournament.
Orit said everyone at school is frustrated over the inadequate funding that has affected their activities despite all the energy used to reach that level.
‘’We have to wait until next year, of course it demoralizes because like for our case, we have for the first time participated in the regional and are too lucky to be promoted to the National competitions but where we have reached our hands are tied’’ Orit lamented.
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George Odongo, the Karamoja Regional Chairperson of Music, Dance and Drama says it’s a sad for schools to struggle in the whole process but failed to make it to the National competition. Earlier, the Nakapiripirit district dropped out of the Regional tournament due to a lack of funds.
