From Desks to Dust: Pupils Struggle in Dilapidated Classrooms

Classroom block at Abura Primary School

Abura Primary School in Nambyeso Sub-county, Kwania District, is grappling with severe infrastructural challenges, forcing pupils to study in unsafe and unhygienic conditions due to years of neglect.

The school’s headteacher, Ronald Ecingo revealed that the school’s facilities began deteriorating after a presidential rally was held there in 2016. Soldiers who later settled at the school damaged property, using desks and rooftops for firewood and cooking. Repeated efforts to seek compensation and restoration have yielded no results.

With only 50 desks available, Primary One and Two pupils are forced to sit on the bare floor, while Primary Five learners study in a crumbling structure that poses a serious safety risk, especially during strong winds and heavy rains.

Pupils in class

Paska Tali, a teacher at the school described the dire classroom conditions, stating that pupils return home covered in dust due to the damaged floors.

“They come to school clean, but they go back dirty. Learning in such an environment is uncomfortable and humiliating,” she lamented.

Frustrated parents, led by Tom Egea, a school representative, have issued a warning to the government, threatening to withhold their votes in 2026 if the crisis remains unresolved.

“We cannot keep supporting a government that ignores our children’s education. If this situation is not fixed, we will not vote,” Egea declared.

A pupil, whose identity has been withheld, pleaded with well-wishers to support the school, emphasizing that the approaching rainy season could further deteriorate their already dire learning conditions.

Stakeholders and authorities are being urged to intervene immediately by renovating classrooms, providing desks, and ensuring the safety and dignity of the learners.