FACT FINDING MISSION TO NAMUTAMBA ON 7th AND 8th MARCH 2011

At around 2.00pm on Monday march 7, 2011 we started on our journey from Kampala to Namutamba. We avoided Mityana road given the construction work on going hence we traveled via Busunju. Just after 4.00pm we were at Namutamba Primary Teachers’ College (PTC) and were fortunate to meet Mr. John Kataza the Acting Principal in office. We had a healthy dialogue with him over the matters of the PTC and Namutamba Demonstration School as he is head of both.

We were gratified by the developments at Namutamba Demonstration School which among others include 9 1st grades in the 2010 Primary Leaving Examinations, yet with a staff of only 13 teachers and a pupil population of 800. The teachers unfortunately don’t have motivation equivalent to the PTA that was in place prior to the UPE arrangement, meaning that without this type of allowance the teachers know very well that the Head teacher has no resources out of which to bail them when in an emergency situation, say when a child falls sick and sound amount of money is needed for treatment. The positive side however is that the teachers are properly qualified.

On behalf of the Namutamba community, I must say that we were gratified to learn about the Government input into the construction of new school structures. The structures are to be commissioned later in the year. What this means is that two necessary requirements for the studying of the children are in place; the teachers who are qualified and the buildings. What is a problem is teachers’ incentives and the feeding of the children mostly at lunch time where sugarless porridge is what the school can afford to offer which porridge costs shs 3,000 a term, but which money many parents either don’t have or are disillusioned to imagine that the UPE package caters even for the feeding of their children. In our opinion, the children should have porridge at break time and such porridge should either have sugar or milk and if possible both. How to be able to supply this porridge remains the issue, though the community effort more so with the involvement of the parents should be able to make an initiative to see the growing of food at school take off as well as some animal husbandry (local chicken can be raised). The parents need to be got out from the dark where many are and get to appreciate the reality that the UPE grant per child is so much and what the money is supposed to be spent on at the same time the timing for the disbursement to the school.

The Demonstration school has the basic infrastructure in form of buildings to help the learning of the children, but toilets and the kitchen are a weak spot which need urgent address by the community.

The Namutamba we love to see back on map should have the Demonstration and PTC all in good shape as far as service delivery is concerned. We were happy to learn that there is an appeal to the government to re-instate Government support to Namutamba PTC, the journey to where the PTC is today has been long, but the feeling is that Government push is necessary in the process of getting the PTC back to its glory more so in training and putting out quality teachers with the Trade mark as Namutamba PTC products. Our team was happy about the development and we pledged to add to the effort through publicizing that community driven wish.

Mr. Kataza expressed gratitude to those parents who have been able to sponsor their children and are now under going training to become Grade III teachers at Namutamba PTC. He told us that the effort of good teaching is paying off. This is reflected in the results of both categories of students who join the PTC as the exams they sit for are all set at Kyambogo. While it is true that teachers’ efforts are paying off at the PTC, it is also true that these teachers get very little pay in form of allowance for the work they do, but because they have the feeling for a good job, they keep sacrificing hence the positive results. We learnt that the water system was vandalized hence tap water supply which used to be the norm is not in place as of now. We were informed as well as saw with our eyes the shape in which the buildings are. These need repairs in many cases though the structures are still okay. The wiring in some buildings has to be re-done either because of being quite old and vandalism.

The Acting Principal expressed appreciation to those teachers who were able to sacrifice for no pay when the teaching of privately sponsored teachers was resumed. There were only 5 students at the start and the teachers did whatever was possible to get them to complete the training!

We were told of a miracle that happened later in the course of 2010. There had been a visitor to Mityana Church of Uganda Diocese who paid a courtesy call on Namutamba PTC. Before the visitor left, he was given a few crafts. On getting back home, a fundraising drive was made to help the College. US$ 5,600 was sent to the Bishop at Mityana. The money was credited to the College account and it is unbelievable that that money has transformed the PTC. While they had never procured a computer and photo copier, with the blessing of the donation, a band new DELL computer is in the secretary’s place together with a new printer and a photo copier. Fire extinguishers were bought as well as a compound slasher which is power driven. In place is a huge water tank already installed to harvest rain water. The balance of the money was put on face lifting of some buildings as well as replacing of the electricity wiring for some buildings. We were satisfied with the priorities on which the money was spent, the value for money in that all the items were new and that money did not go into consumption say wages. This gives the hope that for money into the boost to the College image, it is in safe hands when delivered.

The College grows some Maize which helps the feeding of the students, we actually saw some Cassava garden and believe that the expansion of food growing together with other projects like zero – grazing cattle, local chicken and piggery can go a long way in boosting the nutrition of the students as well as earning income.

William Kituuka Kiwanuka