As the second term of the 2022 academic year begins today in line with the National Education Institutions calendar, several schools in Kampala and the countryside recorded fewer learners on day one.
School administrators say that majority of the learners have remained home today, although it is not yet clear if the no-show is a result of school fees or the heavy rains witnessed in several parts of the country.
According to Jane Kyakuwa the headteacher of Kitante Primary School in Kampala, although normally the numbers are low on the first day, this time around the difference is too visible with just a half or less of the expected number of learners reporting.
She is optimistic, however, that the learners will continue to report in the course of the week.
Meanwhile, at Changsha Entebbe Model Primary School, only 100 out of 600 pupils had reported to the school by 8:30 a.m. Archilles Lukyamuzi an upper primary teacher at the school says that 10 of the 100 learners are also new entrants who have been admitted to primary one and three.
Also, only 250 out of the 517 learners turned up this morning at Chadwick Namate Primary School. However, headteacher Robert Muwonge says that they expect more learners to show up during the week.
In Mukono district, there was also a low learner turn-up. According to school administrators, a number of parents have informed them that they are unable to raise school fees at the moment.
At Ngandu Community Primary School, 20 out of the expected 200 pupils turned up today. While at Rwimi Secondary School in Bunyangabu District, only 130 out of 700 students and seven out of 35 teachers showed up.
The headteacher Willy Mugisha attributes the low turn up to the failure of parents to raise minimum basic school requirements like school fees and books during the three week holiday.
