Rukungiri -A Ugx.1.94 Billion Shillings seed school project intending to provide near and free education services to over 10000 homesteads has been commissioned in Bikurungu town council Rukungiri district.
The project is funded by the government of Uganda through the ministry of education, Sports and ICT with support from the world bank.
While commissioning the project, the Rukungiri deputy Resident District Commissioner Ms Kallen Kagisha said the construction of this seed school is in line with the Government’s education Policy of having a secondary school in every Sub County.
” The government is committed to providing near and free education services to all Ugandans and this seed school enables the people in the respective town council to get quality education services, offer services to the neighboring Sub counties.The deputy RDC noted.
She asked the contractor to ensure quality work and follow the bills of quantities if they are to maintain credibility with the Government.
” I want to caution the contracted firm against doing shoddy work and a product quality in line with bills of quantities to ensure proper accountability for taxpayers’ money”. Ms Kagisha said.
He also asked the contractor to employ the local people so that they can also benefit from this development in their area.
The Rukungiri district chairperson Mr Geoffrey Kyomukama tasked the office of the RDC to ensure continuous monitoring of the construction works and hold regular site meetings with district officers, contractors and the locals to ensure timely completion of the project and valve for money plus accountability of public funds.
“Team work, co-operation, regular site visits will help in the timely completion of the project and quality work therefore ensure that” Mr Kyomukama noted.
The Rukungiri district chief administrative officer Hajji Masokoyi Wasswa said that the construction of the seed school will improve the living standards of the people in Bikurungu town council.
” Kindly embrace this project and use it to improve their financial situation because the school comes with alot of business like building rental houses for teachers and preparing meals for workers and teachers among others. So let this project leave with something in your pockets, “Hajji Masokyi said.
Mr Karuhanga Nicholas, the Rukungiri district civil engineer, says the project construction works are going to last for 18 months.
“The scope of the work includes construction of three blocks each with two classrooms, two laboratory blocks, two unit teachers’ houses, ICT Library block, toilets for boys and girls among others” Mr Karuhanga said.
The construction works were contracted to Kinombe Nyaruzinga Construction Co. Ltd to be completed in a space of 18 months.
How residents welcomed the project ( seed school).
Ms Susan Muhwezi, a resident, hailed the government of Uganda for thinking about the people of Bikurungu adding that the construction of a new secondary school will greatly improve the education standards of the community.
“We have been struggling while looking for a good school because we used to trek distances of over 20 kilometres to access education services at good schools in Rukungiri town, a thing that is very expensive in terms of transport”.Ms Muhwezi noted.
Moses Tuguma, a 76-year-old resident said that for the first time, the government has also valued them.
“We are so grateful and we shall continue supporting it for this service, we used face hardships while looking for good schools in Rukungiri town which is very far .Here we had no secondary schools so we are very much humbled. Mr Tuguma noted.
The Bikurungu town council Mayor Mr Kajuna Wallen expressed his happiness for having been given a public school as this will now uplift the standards of education in the town council.
“A secondary school has been our biggest challenge because without better schools in a given area , development becomes a challenge also. So I want to thank the government of Uganda for this project and we promise to use it for the development of our area” Mr Kajuna said.
Mr Kajuna is also optimistic that the construction of the secondary school will greatly improve the standards of education in the area since education is the right key that unlocks world problems.
