NEBBI — Nebbi District leaders have officially handed over sites in Kucwiny and Ndhew sub-counties to a contractor for the construction of two seed secondary schools.
The Government, through the Ministry of Education and Sports, has released Shs 6 billion to kick-start construction of the two schools, which are expected to improve access to secondary education while contributing to economic development in the communities.
The schools will be constructed on land donated by local communities whose children have been travelling long distances to access secondary education.
One of the residents of Abar East Village in Ndhew Sub-county, Stephen Uchaka, welcomed the project, saying children in the area currently walk about 10 kilometres to access Erussi Senior Secondary School and Nebbi Town Senior Secondary School.
“The project has come to our doorposts. It is upon us now to mobilise our fellow community members to bring their children to this school when it is ready,” Uchaka said.
Uchaka also said the presence of a secondary school in the sub-county would create economic opportunities for residents by providing a local market for food and other supplies needed by the school.
Construction Package
Following the successful completion of Atego Seed School in Nebbi District, district leaders continued efforts to secure additional seed schools for Kucwiny and Ndhew sub-counties.
During the site handover at Mamba Senior Secondary School in Kucwiny Sub-county, the district engineer, Andrew Okecha Jean, cautioned the contractor, Rhema Engineering Company, against poor-quality work.
He also urged the contractor to complete the project within the stipulated 18-month construction period.
“Since government wants schools to have good learning infrastructure, we want quality work. The project timeline of 18 months must be met,” Okecha said.
Okecha added that the district would not allow construction to proceed if irregularities were detected during implementation.
The project will include:
A school administration block
Six classroom blocks
A twin ICT laboratory block
A science block
Two units of staff houses
Staff latrines
Washrooms for both girls and boys
Leaders Warn Against Shoddy Work
Nebbi District Woman Member of Parliament Agnes Acibu also warned against poor-quality construction, saying shoddy work compromises value for money.
She emphasised the importance of effective monitoring of government projects by local leaders and communities.
The district has previously experienced challenges with the implementation of public infrastructure projects.
In 2020, Nebbi District councillors halted construction works at Atego Seed School after detecting what they described as shoddy work at an early stage of construction.
A similar situation occurred in 2018 at Pamaka Health Centre III, where the district works committee ordered the contractor to suspend construction after irregularities were discovered during the implementation of the project at Kucwiny Health Centre III.
Education Officials Welcome the Project
During the groundbreaking ceremonies at the two sites, Nebbi District Education Officer Delalson Ojok applauded the Government for providing funding for the construction of the schools.
Ojok said Nebbi District currently has only six secondary schools, making the new seed schools an important addition to the district's education infrastructure.
She said the schools would help reduce school dropout rates associated with students travelling long distances to access secondary education.
“Now that government has given us the schools, the role of parents must be seen by bringing children to study in these schools,” Ojok said.
The construction of the two seed secondary schools is expected to expand access to secondary education for communities in Kucwiny and Ndhew, while also creating opportunities for local businesses and suppliers once the schools become operational.
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