Code Us, Oyuku-Galagala Parents School Community cry out amidst Sustainability

The communities benefiting from one of the Parent schools in Pader district identified as Oyuku-Galagala are stranded on how to sustain their founded school and have called on the district education department’s intervention for the sustainability of the school that has overwhelmed them.

The school is located in Oyuku village, Ngekidi parish, Latanya sub-county in Pader district with an enrollment of over 300, though currently, the enrollment is at 70 following the resumption of the studies on Monday, 18th September 2023.

One of the parents identified as Opira says that they are facing challenges, especially in financing salaries of the parents’ teachers, and erecting better structures, among others. He said the wait for government take up of the school has frustrated the efforts of parents in maintaining the school amidst the difficult economic times.

The Latanya sub-county chairperson, Mr Bob Okello re-echoed the same community concern that after Action Aid’s intervention by providing two classroom blocks and latrines two years ago, the parents have been levying with all the necessary costs in running the school.

According to Okello, the school has got all it takes to be coded following their acquisition of land titles and the duration taken. Reports indicate that the school have taken ten years since it was founded by the parents.

He further called on the relevant authorities to speed up the process of the coding so that the studies of the pupils are not distorted.

Mr David Lam Komakech, the Pader district secretary for education and sports while commenting on the outcry from the concerned parents said the district has intervened by providing one teacher who will assist the school as soon as possible. According to Komakech, 30 names of parents’ schools have been submitted to the Ministry of Education and Sports, and they are yet to get feedback from the ministry.

Pader district has a total of 107 government-aided primary schools with over 30 parents’ schools whose names have been submitted to the ministry for coding.