Parents, teachers, and pupils at Kaseese Parents Nursery and Primary School in Kakinga Parish, Kibanda Sub-county, Rakai District, have raised concern over the deteriorating state of the community-founded school, urging government and well-wisher intervention.
The school was established in 2019 by parents seeking to reduce long walking distances that had forced many children, especially girls, to drop out.
Before the school was founded, children reportedly walked up to four kilometres to access the nearest government primary school, exposing them to risks including sexual abuse and early marriages.
“Some children would return home saying they no longer want to study, yet the real problem was the long distance and the risks along the way,” parents explained.
Despite its importance, the school operates under extremely difficult conditions. It currently enrolls about 250 pupils from Baby Class to Primary Five but has only two makeshift classroom structures—one timber building and another constructed from mud and wattle, both roofed with grass.
Lessons are frequently disrupted during the rainy season due to leaking roofs and safety concerns.
Inside classrooms, there are no desks. Pupils sit on stones and write on their laps, while grass covers parts of the floor.
Headteacher Happy Arinaitwe says the shortage of classrooms forces the administration to combine multiple classes in one room, affecting concentration and overall performance.
“We are compelled to teach multiple classes in one room. The congestion and noise make it difficult for learners to grasp lessons effectively,” she said.
The school has only six teachers, earning between Shs 150,000 and Shs 200,000 per month. PTA Chairperson Erick Tumukunde noted that limited funding from parents makes it difficult to pay salaries consistently.
Kaseese Parents Nursery and Primary School does not go beyond Primary Five, forcing many pupils to drop out as families cannot afford transport or boarding fees to attend distant schools offering Primary Six and Seven.
Parents and local leaders are calling on the Ministry of Education and Sports to intervene by supporting construction of permanent classroom blocks, providing desks and learning materials, and considering taking over the school as a government-aided institution.
They argue that improving infrastructure would not only enhance learning but also protect children from the risks associated with long commutes.
Rakai District Education Officer Anthony Magembe acknowledged the challenge of long-distance schools and promised to write to the Ministry of Education to consider taking over Kaseese Parents School, raising its standards.
As Rakai District continues to expand, residents stress that meaningful investment in education infrastructure is critical to securing the future of its young generation.
