St. Peter’s Church of Uganda Primary School, located in Nantabulirwa within Namanve Industrial Park, Mukono Municipality, is seeking UGX 700 million to construct a two-storey building.
The school currently accommodates over 1,000 learners but is struggling with limited space, which affects the learning environment.
Eriya Baluma, the chairperson of the school management committee, stated that the decision to construct a storey building was embraced as a practical solution to maximize the limited land available.
The school hopes that this development will provide the necessary space to improve the educational experience for its growing student population.
“As you can see, it is the only church of Uganda government school serving the population of children whose parents work in factories within Namanve Industrial Park, the school has undergone all the necessary steps to have a modern building such as securing land title and also securing permission from relevant authorities. ” Baluma noted.
St. Peter’s Church of Uganda Primary School serves children from the villages of Kireku, Bweyogerere, Degeya, Kisenyi, and Nantabulirwa.
The school’s head teacher, Nabasumba Florence, explains that the classrooms are extremely overcrowded. Originally designed to hold 65 pupils, each class now crams in over 120 children, with Primary Three being the most crowded, having 145 pupils.
Due to limited land for expansion, the school’s only option is to build upwards by constructing a storey building.
The school sits on about one acre of land, which already accommodates the playground, classrooms, latrines, and kitchen.
To manage the overcrowding, they recently bought two tents to serve as temporary classrooms, but these tents are not suitable during rainy days.
According to the school’s building plan, the proposed storey building will have four classrooms on each floor, along with offices and modern toilets for both students and teachers.
The head teacher hopes that, with God’s help, construction can take place during the holidays to prevent accidents among the students.
Esther Vannesa Namuyonga, the school head prefect says learners are not comfortable studying under congested environment.
She notes that sometimes they struggle to concentrate and also understand everything they are taught.
Sylvia Faith Naggoloola, the Primary Three teacher, says that teaching such a large number of students in a crowded space is stressful.
She notes that while some pupils can pay attention, others struggle due to the conditions.
She is calling on the government and well-wishers to support the construction of a modern classroom block, which would allow the school to divide the students into smaller groups.
St. Peter’s CoU Primary School began as a community school in 1986 and was officially granted its current land in 1994 by the late Jathom Tebera.
The school gained more students after it was renovated and re-roofed by Roofings Limited, a company in Namanve.
Jimmy Lugoloobi, the Nantabulirwa Parish Chairperson and an alumnus of the school, is urging former students and well-wishers, particularly businesses in Namanve Industrial Park, to support the school’s initiative.
The school has set 28th September as the official date for the ground-breaking ceremony, which will also coincide with a student’s day event showcasing the pupils’ talents in music, dance, and drama for their parents and visitors.
Rev. Paul Kiyaga of St. Peter’s Nantabulirwa Church of Uganda says that the new building will not only enhance the school’s appearance but will also bring glory to the church and provide a better learning environment for the pupils.
Ddembe Douglas, the chairperson of the Parents Teachers Association, adds that once the issue of overcrowding is resolved, the school will focus on establishing accommodation facilities for teachers and a dining hall for students.
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