Over 300 learners at Bwama Primary school are lacking boats to transport them crossing Lake Bunyonyi which has affected the education system in the southwestern part of Uganda.
The Church of Uganda government-aided primary school is located in Kitumba sub-county Kabale district at the largest island known as Bwama island on Lake Bunyonyi the deepest lake in the country, second in East Africa, and third worldwide.
According to Amon Tweheba a teacher at the school, they have failed to have morning preps for upper classes because pupils reach school late due to lack of transport means which affects their performances.
“We are forced to start lessons at 9:00 am and beyond depending on the weather conditions yet according to the ministry we are supposed to start at 8:00 am and this delay in reporting to school has cost us to not complete the curriculum in time,” he noted.
Besides the transport challenges, Tweheba also highlighted limited funds and food as other challenges that affect the well-being of the school.
“Normally our pupils come with packed lunch but we don’t have where to warm it and they end up eating cold food which also affects the health of the children,” he added.
Therefore he called upon the president together with the government to fulfil their pledge of a ferry and life jackets to ensure children’s safety while they navigate the lake and better transport means.
Although in 2015 during the presidential campaign, President Yoweri Museveni pledged to provide a ferry to ease transport across the lake, to date, the pledge is still pending.
The only intervention has been the establishment of a marine detachment to help in rescuing those who have drowned leaving other people including the children neglected and starving.
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