|
Government officers visit school without teachers
2007-07-07 10:48:40
By Correspondent Haruni Sanchawa, Mkuranga
A six-man fact finding team from Mkuranga district education office visited Mkugilo Secondary School soon after this newspaper had published a news story concerning a serious shortage of teaching staff.
The school headmaster, Yohana Mgonja, has confirmed that the visit took place last week.
He commended the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training for attention now being paid to his school.
The school had remained seriously understaffed for six months with only one permanently employed schoolteacher, that is, the headmaster himself.
The situation gradually degenerated to the point that when the headmaster was away, the head prefect acted on his behalf.
Minister for Education and Vocational Training Margaret Sitta has pledged an immediate reversal of the situation.
Responding to information that the school lacked teachers despite the continued fast-track training of schoolteachers, the minister said regional education officers were in a better position to verify the deployment of teachers in their respective areas.
She pledged an immediate follow up of the matter in order to make sure that the problem was resolved.
``We held serious talks about the much needed basic requirements: Teachers, library, staff quarters and other vital facilities.
The second semester begins on Monday, July 9, 2007. We now expect to receive new teachers,`` Mgonja said.
According to the headmaster, the school has enrolled 130 students; 64 girls and 66 boys, some coming from distant villages.
The administration has managed to secure students` accommodation after a local school patron constructed two dormitories and continues to supply power at his own cost.
Mkugilo Secondary School is among recently established schools built under a government drive aimed at making sure that all pupils who qualify for secondary education are enrolled.
|
