By Fortunate Masawi
Urgent Appeal for Intervention: Critical Issues Affecting Education in Bugisu Region caused by the PS Ministry Of Education.
Dear Honorable Mama Janet Kataha,
I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I write to you on behalf of the concerned citizens of Bugisu, whose distress has reached a critical juncture regarding two alarming issues within the Ministry of Education.
Firstly, the citizens of Bugisu are deeply troubled by the state of affairs at Nkoma Secondary School. The multi-billion storage classrooms, commissioned amidst great anticipation, now stand as symbols of disappointment and neglect. Massive cracks mar the structures, rendering them unusable and, more importantly, unsafe. Shockingly, over 1000 students are at risk due to the precarious condition of these classrooms. One of the buildings’ first floor has been repurposed as a library, a makeshift solution that should not be the norm. We implore you to personally visit Nkoma Secondary School, witness the gravity of the situation, and take immediate steps to address this perilous predicament.
Secondly, the mismanagement of the School for the Deaf, once a beacon of excellence in Africa, is a matter of great concern. The citizens of Bugisu express their dismay at the downfall of this institution, now facing the possibility of failure. Sister Nelima Rose, the former head teacher and a dedicated nun, has been treated unjustly. Despite her exemplary service, she was abruptly dismissed by the Permanent Secretary, an action seemingly beyond their role, especially when the Commissioner of Secondary Schools was on leave and even after the parliamentary committee of education visiting and instructing the transfer to be halted since all the accusations put on her were baseless and hearsays. This situation demands justice for Sister Nelima Rose and an urgent review of the decisions that led to her dismissal. The School for the Deaf’s performance, once the pride of the region, is now jeopardized, and immediate intervention is crucial, in this we request you to put an independent investigation body to give you proof.
Honorable Mama Janet Kataha, we appeal to your compassion and commitment to education to address these pressing matters promptly. The children of Bugisu deserve a safe and conducive learning environment, and the educators who dedicated their lives to shaping young minds deserve fair treatment the way our head teachers from masabaland are treated is in calling, even with the commissioner secondary schools being from masaba land he is never given respect the permanent secretary treats him as if he is a beggar and this is bad. His views are never considered. Madam Ketty Lamaro should know that Uganda has a decentralized system where each and everyone has a role to play.
We trust that your intervention will bring about positive change and restore hope to the education system in Bugisu, if our matter is not attended to, we shall organise a three day match from mbale city to the ministry of education because our silence is not our weakness as the permanent secretary perceives.
Sincerely,
Concerned citizens from Bugisu sub region.
