ZOMBO LEADERS LAUNCH FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO CONSTRUCT GIRLS DORMITORY AT ATYAK SEED SCHOOL

Some of the classroom structures at Atyak Seed School.

By Mike Rwothomio

Zombo

Leaders in Zombo have launched an intensive fund-raising drive to establish a dormitory for female students of Government aided Atyak seed secondary school.

The leaders express optimism that establishing a girl’s dormitory will create an experience-centered environment, discipline and expand student’s perspectives and horizons as they stay and learn together.

The committee comprising local leaders, the school administration, parents, political aspirants amongst others, plan to raise shillings 300 million to meet their set target.

During the launch on January 14, 2025 at Atyak seed secondary school, The Chief Guest Major General Dick Olum, who contributed unspecified amount of monetary, material and engineering support, pledged more commitment for the project, calling for concerted effort from all stakeholders.

“As important as this school is for all of us, the head teacher might be transferred tomorrow but me and you, we shall remain here, they will blame us for not having done anything for this school, I think in the event of such a thing, we need to give proper and adequate sensitization to the general public, to authorities be like the LCV, CAO, everybody so that we have ample time of information,” Olum said in his opening remark.

He also rallied parents to take full responsibilities of the girl child, blaming parents for not doing enough to safeguard their children from teenage pregnancies and early Marriage.

According to Agenunga,  the school board chairperson , the school has vast land that can house many structures and can be utilized for establishing   performing arts,  spaces, athletic fields,  hostels  and more. He  rallied developers to acquire land and  construct rentals around the school premises,  to help house students from far-off areas .

Education experts argue that a greater percentage of  boarding students are more  motivated by their peers than day scholars.

Peter Ocan, a teacher within Paidha town council said ” When you live and learn together in a school,  your  motivated  and grow together”

Hope is sky-high that the initiative will help shield the  girl child from wide spread rural discos , said to be exacerbating high school drop rate and early pregnancy and Marriage.

Grace Freedom Kwiocwiny, the  Former Northern Uganda state minister now the senior presidential advisor, stressed  the need for robust fund raising strategy, highlighting the benefits of dormitories for girl child education.

“Today we see the need for a girls dormitory, it will help, let the girls come here, live here, study here and they go home when it is holidays” Kwiocwiny shared in her speech, recounting the harrowing sky-high teenage pregnancy and early Marriage rate, the area experienced in the post COVID-19 pandemic.

James Oruna Oyulu, the LCV chairperson Zombo District noted of government strict policy on establishment of a girls dormitory in seed schools, before assuring of his commitment.

The Executive director of Life concern, Kakura Emmy Kizito recounted the challenges Atyak community faced in the past, expressing optimism about achieving the 300 million set target, if those in the diaspora are equally engaged.

Atyak seed is amongst the 8 Public Secondary school in Zombo and its last year’s student’s enrollment was over 400.

Atyak seed was in 2022 commissioned and became operational and is now a beacon of hope for the rural community of Atyak and other neighboring Sub-Counties without secondary schools.

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