Rural school without toilet since 2009

A total of 584 teachers and pupils of Businda Primary School in Ushirombo Ward are relieving themselves in bushes due to lack of toilets.

The school head, Mr Peter Budotela, told this reporter that since he was transferred to the school in 2009, the school does not have a permanent toilet, saying that once there was a temporary one, but it was destroyed by rains. “For now we have no toilet at all, a situation that compels pupils and teachers to relieve themselves in bushes,” said Mr Budotela.

According to the school head, the school has a total of 569 pupils - 323 females and 246 males. The school has 15 teachers.

Mr Budotela asserted that currently the school needs 26 pit latrines for pupils and two for teachers.

Onesimo Yohana, a pupil at the school said relieving themselves in bushes risked their health and exposed them to dangerous animals, including hyenas and snakes.

Expressing his discontent toward the prevailing situation, Mr Renatus Nzemo, a teacher at the school said that the lack of toilets at the school robbed teachers of their due respect from students and the surrounding communities, saying that the phenomenon contravened the Big Results Now (BRN) programme goals.

Businda Village executive officer, Mr Joseph Muzumya, acknowlegded the problem, saying that he would convene a village meeting and ask villagers to offer their contributions to finance the construction of the toilets.

However, Ushirombo Ward Educational Coordinator Mr John Emmanuel, denied having knowledge of the problem, urging the school head to immediately report the matter to his office.

The Bukombe District Council chairman, who doubles as Ushirombo Ward councilor who was once a teacher at the school, Mr Lameck Warangi said plans to build toilets at the school were underway.