By Anslem Ojaru

Arua City

As the ministry of education games and sports mandates that every school should have a playground as a basic requirement for its establishment, however, some schools Arua central division is are coping without play grounds.

Beatrice Adiru Asimasia the head teacher of the school says that this has had a negative impact on their performance in the recently completed kid’s athletics competitions. “As we talk now don’t have a playground what we use to train the children is just the compound in fact the pathway behind and in-between the classrooms and therefore, it is presenting a lot of obstacles especially the compound is with a lot of gullies the   children get accident and the training is not desiring as a result our performance in co-curricular activities has come down.” Adiru said.

Out of the 38 private schools in the city not more than 5 schools have the play grounds due to limited space. In spite of this, Geoffrey Asiku the senior education officer in Arua Central division urges schools to share the available play grounds “We are aware that most of our schools especially the private schools don’t have enough land for expansion so we have advised them share and also use some of the community playgrounds private schools don’t have space”. Asiku added.

Geoffrey Etoma chairperson of the private school teachers in Arua city says they have resorted using Barifa which has also presented challenges of sanitation.
“Using barifa has challenges first of all, sanitation facilities like toilets are barely not there so, you take the children there and you find a lot of inconveniences.” Etoma says.   
 
Candia Ronald the city sports officer in Arua central division says as the sports department they are working around the corner to see they finish up the renovation of the other fields in the city.

There are 61 primary and secondary schools in Arua central division in spite there are only three available playgrounds for them to carry out their co-curricular activities.

Some of the play grounds previous used like Arua Hill playground, Arua primary, Police ground are all still under renovation.

COVER PHOTO: Police ground still under contruction By Anslem Ojaru