CIBITOKE, November 7th (ABP) – Today, there are overcrowded classrooms and a lack of desks in several schools in the communes of Rugombo, Buganda and Mugina, in Cibitoke province.
In those communes, it has become more than a reality to find pupils in public schools sitting in groups of 4 or 5, or even on the floor, to follow the lessons.
For example, according to David Nikiza, Communal Director of Education in the commune of Mugina, many schools in his commune have been accommodating between 100 and 120 pupils per class in recent years.
In addition to such high pupil numbers, there is also a severe shortage of desks in many schools, such as ECOFO Migezi, where dozens of pupils attend school sitting on the floor.
Such situations are noted in reports found at the Provincial Department of Education (DPE) Cibitoke, where the average number of pupils per classroom currently stands at 67 units, while the number of pupils per desk bench is estimated at more or less 5 pupils, for a desk bench that was intended for just two pupils.
According to the report, at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, over 172,000 pupils in grades 1 to 9 were accommodated in 2,573 classrooms, while the number of public benches available for grades 1 to 9 is estimated at just 36,258.
The Provincial Director of Education (DPE) in Cibitoke, Joseph Nyandwi, revealed that he had already pleaded several times with the Ministry of Education and remains hopeful that the situation will be alleviated with regard to desk benches, following orders placed with the communes.
There is also a shortage of teachers, requiring the intervention of volunteer teachers.