Bukasakya Primary School Struggles with Congestion

Bukasakya Primary School, a government-aided institution in Mbale City Industrial Division is grappling with severe congestion due to a surge in pupil enrollment. The school has 1,463 pupils, who study in seven classrooms. Each classroom hosts over 80 pupils, which exceeds the recommended ratio of 1:55 learners per class.

The school also has 13 teachers. Francis Bwire, the deputy head teacher, explained the challenges, telling our reporter on Wednesday that the school is facing a shortage of classrooms, desks, and teachers. “With only 13 teachers handling all seven primary levels, the situation is overwhelming,” Bwire said.

“Currently, 900 pupils have reported, but we expect the number to rise next week as more learners return. We urgently need additional classrooms and teachers. If we had the funds, we would hire private teachers to ease the burden.” The concerns were raised during a visit by members of the Bamasaba Mulembe Nation WhatsApp group on Monday, who donated scholastic materials, including books, pens, mathematical sets, pencils, and erasers, to learners in Primary One and Seven.

Notable contributors to the donation included group Chairman Andrew Mukhwana Tingu, Assistant Treasurer and field team leader Wepukhulu Abner Nabudele, Samuel Sakwa Napokoli, David Mukholi, Mzee Nabakhwama Mweru Bosco, Namalome Faibe, Counsel Derrick Bukuwa, Mze Busiku Freddie Wekoye, and Professor Tom Mulegi. Bwire expressed his gratitude for the donation, emphasizing that many children stay home because they lack basic school supplies. He urged other well-wishers to support the school. Samuel Sakwa Napokoli, chairman of the Siu clan in Inzu ya Masaba, spoke about the challenges of Uganda’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) program, noting that it is underfunded.

"Parents have a major role to play, but many have left everything to the government, despite contributing very little. The classrooms are overcrowded, there is no feeding program, and many children lack basic school materials. These conditions make it difficult for learners to concentrate, leading to poor academic performance," Napokoli said.

Wepukhulu explained that their WhatsApp group contributed towards purchasing scholastic materials after realizing many children attend school without even a pencil. “We have already supported three schools—Bukasakya, Bumasikye, and Bunamwenula. Moving forward, we aim to expand our efforts beyond education and engage in other community development projects,” he said. He also encouraged social media users to redirect their resources toward helping underprivileged children. “Some of us can afford to buy data for social media, yet there’s a child who lacks a 500-shilling exercise book. Instead of spending money on online arguments, why not use it to buy a pen or pencil for a child in need?” Wepukhulu added.

Khainza Eva, another group member, urged unity among members to continue supporting less privileged children in their communities. She added that much more needs to be done, as the overcrowded classrooms do not provide a favorable learning environment for the children to perform well and appealed to the government for intervention. Francis Kooko, the acting Mbale City Education Officer, acknowledged the challenges faced by the school but mentioned that his department is financially constrained in addressing them.