Ethiopian Review

Kampala — THE Government has been asked to protect urban school land from potential investors. “We appeal to the Government to put in place a policy to protect school land from being grabbed by investors,” said Hajji Mubale Kalinaki, the principal inspector of schools in Kampala City Council.

Mubale said investors were eyeing city primary schools because they thought the schools did not deserve to be in urban areas.

Speaking during an exhibition bonanza at Buganda Road Primary School on Friday, Mubale described the move by investors to take over city school land as a threat to their existence.

Primary education state minister Kamanda Bataringaya said the ministry could not do much to protect the schools.

“Our duty is to build schools and provide teachers. But we get disturbed when owners of the land where the schools are located start reclaiming them. It becomes legally hard to prevent such claims,” Bataringaya said in a speech read by Cuthbert Mulyalya, the commissioner for pre-primary education.

He said Buganda Road Primary School, with a total of 1,945 pupils, was one of the oldest and most prominent schools in the city. It was founded in the early 1930s.

Head teacher Beatrice Turyasingura said the exhibition aimed at encouraging pupils to use the environment to enrich their knowledge.

She said the school has started harvesting rain water to cut down on water bills.

- By Patrick Jaramogi | New Vision