Zombo leaders  launches fundraising campaign to construct girls  dormitory at a seed school

By Mike Rwothomio

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 girls  dormitory will create an experience-centered environment, discipline and  expand students perspectives and horizons as they stay and learn  together.

The commitee 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 headteacher 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 adquate 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 it’s last year’s students  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.