NYAGATARE - When the rural electrification project was launched in Nyagatare District last August, students at Karangazi Secondary School thought their power woes had ended. However, this has not been the case because the students are yet to benefit from the project. Persistent power black out have, however, forced the students to resort to the use of candles during evening studies. The students have expressed worries that they may fail their upcoming exams if the power problem persists. The students on Monday lamented that the school relies on a generator which also frequently faces technical problems. “It’s an alarming issue and we appeal to the government to intervene. The school management has tried its best to arrest the situation but up to now we still face the same problem,” Fred Ngarambe, one of the students said. Ngarambe explained that when the generator goes off at night, the school provides candles for them. “The school provides one candle for three students at night when power goes off but these candles still cause eye problems,” he said. Oliver Kobusingye, another student said that some of her colleagues with eye problems cannot afford to study on candles which could ultimately affect their performance. “You cannot study for more than an hour using a candle. It affects our eyes sight meaning that those with eye defects have already been affected…we are worried it might affect their performance,” she said. Rev. Bishop Gakumba, the school’s headmaster said that they have had power disruptions since 2006, and the district is yet to fulfill its pledge to solve the problem. Ends
