Rakai- Teachers and pupils of Kijjaja Primary School in Nabigasa Sub -county Kyotera, Rakai District, have resorted to using nearby bushes to ease themselves following the collapse of their pit-latrine in April.
The government-aided school has a population of more than 400 pupils.
The head teacher, Mr Samuel Ssemanda, said the matter was brought to the attention of the district authorities two months ago, but they have not received any assistance.
“As a school, we don’t have money to erect a modern pit-latrine that can serve all pupils. We expect to get financial assistance from the district, which is not forthcoming,” he said during an interview at the weekend.
Mr Ssemanda said this was the second pit-latrine to collapse after the one constructed by parents.
“We have now decided to put up a temporary two-stance pit-latrine of 15ft, but we doubt whether it will take us through this term,” he said.
“Some (teachers) either travel back to their homes to ease themselves or inconvenience the school’s neighbours,” Mr Ssemanda added.
He said the situation has resulted in a massive absenteeism of pupils, especially the girls.
Ms Angella Nakabembe, the areacouncillor, said the community could suffer from diseases such as cholera and dysentery if the problem is not swiftly addressed.
However, the district education officer, Mr Abubakar Mutaaya, said they are yet to find funds to erect a new pit-latrine.
“The district council resolved to allocate some money to deal with that problem, but this has not been implemented yet,” Mr Mutaaya said, adding that they now plan to petition the Ministry of Education.
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