Samuel Siringi Schools re-open today for the second term against a background of many challenges. Top on the card is implementing a Government directive on safety in classrooms and hostels. Parents are faced with the challenge o providing school fees and other learning inputs, while candidates have to prepare for examinations that are coming later in the year.
Teachers certainly have to put in more work to ensure that their students improve performance.
But the question of safety in schools will pre-occupy the minds most. With memories of the Kyanguli Secondary School fire disaster in which 68 students perished still fresh in the mind, school inspectors are expected to intensify inspection to ensure that safety standards are adhered to. Already, the Government has provided guidelines for safety, including specifications on standards of buildings and other structures. It is instructive that a recent Government report on inspection of 52 schools made shocking revelations on how filthy and poorly maintained boarding facilities were. It is expected that schools will re-design their structures, especially doors and windows and put in place facilities for fighting tragedies.