EASTERN PROVINCE NGOMA — Close to Frw250, 000 was raised in cash during a fundraising drive for Kigarama Secondary School over the weekend. The fundraising was held during celebrations to mark the school’s ten years of existence at the school premises in Kazo sector, Ngoma district. Jean Pierre Uwizeye, the school director, highlighted several problems affecting the school among them lack of enough classroom rooms to accommodate the increasing number of students and lack of enough land where new buildings can be built. Uwizeye said that the available rooms are old and students don’t study when it rains. The school has about 500 students. Other problems affecting the school that were raised include lack of fence which gives students room to sneak out of school anytime, and lack of school truck to transport students most especially the sick to the nearest health centre. The school is situated 5km away from the nearest health centre. The head teacher expressed concern about old buildings in the school vicinity, noting that area residents use them as hiding places for school girls who sneak out of school at night. He called on the concerned authorities to intervene and save the situation. All this has led to the school’s poor performance, Uwizeye said. “I think leaders should always intervene before bad things turn to worse,” Uwizeye said reacting to the poor turn up of various leaders from the sector and district level at the meeting, yet they were invited. “Many leaders start to intervene when things are out of control,” he added. Apart from the district Advisory Council which was represented, no other leader honoured the school invitation. Most of the people present were parents and other well wishers. Kigarama Secondary School is one of the schools in Ngoma district which was recently cited as harbouring genocide ideology. However, Uwizeye attributed genocide ideology to the former head teacher; Celestin Sengumuremyi who allegedly created rifts among students. Ends
