Uganda: More Than 500 Pupils Share Three Teachers At Nebbi School
[Nile Post] Every morning, 538 children squeeze into three cramped classrooms at Paleo NFE School in Nebbi District, where a severe shortage of teachers, classrooms and desks has left pupils learning in overcrowded and difficult conditions.
At Paleo NFE School in Nebbi District, Uganda, more than 500 pupils share three classrooms, leading to severe overcrowding. The school, operating for 25 years on a half-acre plot, has only three teachers to serve 538 students. Primary One alone has 340 pupils, while Primary Two has 134 and Primary Three has 64, resulting in alarming pupil-teacher ratios.
Lower classes have no desks, forcing students to sit on the floor. The shortage of classrooms has forced some pupils to walk 4km or 3km to attend school, leading to many dropping out. The headteacher, Teddy Oyeru, said the school previously had more teachers but they were terminated for lacking qualifications. Parents, mostly peasant farmers, have limited capacity to support the school.
The district has requested the Ministry of Education and Sports to upgrade the NFE centres into primary schools, as closing them would force children out of school. Despite receiving capitation grants, the funding remains insufficient to address the school's needs.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
