LEARNERS AND LEADERS ASK GOV’T TO EXTEND DRDIP PROJECT IN YUMBE

A newly constructed classroom block constructed at Nyori Primary School under the DRDIP awaiting commissioning. PHOTO BY ROBERT ELEMA 

BY ROBERT ELEMA

YUMBE

Winnie Letasi, 19, a P.6 pupil of Keyi Primary school in Yumbe district walks for 5kms daily from Monday to Friday to access education at the school. She says, at the time she joined the school, the environment was not conducive for learning and the classrooms were in adequate.  “The structures we had been using were dilapidated and the classrooms were congested without sitting facilities. You would sit down on the floor and use your thigh to support writing and as you sit down, the clothes get dirty frequently and this brings burden to our parents to buy washing detergents frequently,” she said.

Letasi says, one time she thought of leaving the school because her friends were studying in a school where the facilities are better with conducive learning environment but her parents couldn’t allow her to join another school. The hope of Letasi was however restored when the school was earmarked to benefit from Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP) in 2019.

A classroom block was built in Keyi primary school with VIP latrines, installation of rain water harvesting tank, supply of desks and planting of grass, trees and flowers on the school compound. “The number of classrooms in our school has increased and from the floor, we have shifted to using desks which creates comfortability in us. We have motivating compound that attracts learners this time,” she said.

She said, the faces of the institutions across the district have changed because of DRDIP and that there is need for the phase two of the project because many schools haven’t benefitted from the program and schools that have benefitted still have inadequate facilities.

Stephen Ama’dile, another pupil from Odravu primary school says, it was in 2019 when he heard about DRDIP. He says, the project brought a lot of changes in their school in terms of new classrooms, water facilities and VIP latrines.

“We have a general problem of water in the school and the rain harvesting tank installed has reduced the burden for the pupils to go and look for water in far places. The issue of latrine has also been a challenge and the issue of open defecation has been common in the school and all these challenges have been addressed in our school,” he said.

He requests the government to continue with the project until the schools have no more challenges in infrastructure development.
Mr Ashraf Abale, the headteacher of Nyori primary school said, they are privileged to have had projects under DRDIP and that one of their projects is still ongoing.

He said, Nyori has an enrolment of 1,922 learners and that the facilities have become inadequate to accommodate the big number. “We have nine classrooms in the school but the other block is dilapidated and it’s risky to the lives of the learners so, anytime the classroom may collapse on the learners,” he said.

He said, in case of the extension of DRDIP, Nyori primary school should be considered for a new classroom block that can make them accommodate the big number of learners adequately.

A dilapidated classroom block at Nyori primary school that is posing threats
to the learners at Nyori Primary School. PHOTO BY ROBERT ELEMA 

Mr Joseph Ali, the LC 3 vice chairperson for Lodonga Sub County said, there is need for the extension of DRDIP because a lot needs to be done in the institutions. He said, in his sub county, there are 7 institutions but only two benefited from the DRDIP and the five remaining schools in Lodonga Sub County have inadequate classrooms with dilapidated structures.

“We would as local government build structures in these institutions but its impossible because the funds, we receive is so little and much of the funds has been directed to PDM program. We can’t manage to construct a two stance VIP latrine in such institutions,” he said.   He said, if there is possibility of extension of the project, considerations should be made on the remaining institutions in Lodonga Sub County.

Mr Adinan Anguyo, the inspector of schools said, the activities of DRDIP can’t be underrated in the district. He said DRDIP has done alot in the education sector through the construction of classrooms, laboratories, staff houses among other structures that has improved performance in the district.

“Previously, our performance in the district has been very poor but this time we are seeing changes in the performance every year. In the district, DRDIP has reached around 3,295,419 beneficiaries where 1,087,471 are refugees and 2,207,948 the host community so, they have benefitted a lot from this project,” he said.

Mr. Bran Ojock, the DRDIP desk officer for Yumbe district said, the first phase of DRDIP ended last year, but there has been extension of the project for about 6 months which ended in June this year. He said, the design of the project has been very unique and the uniqueness is seen when the children are engaged in competitions where they write about the project and that, there is no government project that has ended with this kind of innovation.

Mr. Ojock said, the learners who are the initial beneficiaries of the infrastructures in the schools have made them proud and the project has really transformed them. “We have as local governments constructed classrooms here but we sometimes construct classrooms without desks. As we are commissioning such classrooms, the School Management Committee (SMC) also put another cry for things like the desks, VIP latrines, water but with DRDIP, all these are addressed so, we want to appreciate OPM for this holistic approach to development,” he said.

”On infrastructure alone, we have spent more than Shs 42billion in Yumbe district on the various investments but of those, education has taken over Shs 18billion that means, more of our investments went to education sector because the district identified education as one of the vehicles of transformation,” he added.

Mr Simon Kishaka the DRDIP Communication specialist said, wherever they go, there has been the cry for the extension of the project a cross the refugee hosting districts. He revealed that, they are preparing for another phase of DRDIP adding that the concept has already been designed.

“We hope to get another phase of DRDIP with more funding this time. The first phase was about 200million US dollars (in loan and grant) but this time we hope to get 250million US dollars so, you should prepare yourselves as a district to look at the gaps you have, look at what you need and make sure you have a good proposal to make to government for DRDIP phase two considerations,” he said.

“Let’s pray to God/Allah that we get the second phase because the World Bank has to lift the restriction on Uganda for funding for the various reasons as you know. They have to lift the restrictions in order for the financing to come but they are optimistic that they can get it done and hopefully between July and October, it can be approved so that we can move forward with the second phase of DRDIP,” he added.

He said, they have done their best in minimizing corruption in the projects and that’s why the results are seen and that they want to do more because there is need for more classrooms, teacher’s houses, multipurpose halls, VIP Latrines among others.

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