Editorial
Stella Maris Girls Secondary School Bunena in Kitagwenda District has appealed for government intervention to address severe infrastructure shortages that administrators say are undermining effective learning.
The Catholic-founded school, located in Kabujogera Town Council, is the only all-girls secondary school in the district and currently enrolls nearly 400 students.
Despite the growing enrollment, the school lacks key facilities including science and computer laboratories and currently operates with only six permanent classrooms.
At the time of filing this report, Senior One students were attending lessons in an unfinished school chapel due to the shortage of classroom space.
Only girl’s school in Kitagwenda
The head teacher, Sr. Mary Grace Kyahurwa, said the school had initially been selected among four institutions in Kitagwenda District to benefit from the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project (USEEP).
However, she said the school was later dropped from the list of major beneficiaries during the validation stage.
Sr. Kyahurwa emphasised that Stella Maris is growing rapidly and plays a critical role in promoting girls’ education in the district.
She noted that the school administration has resorted to mobilising parents to put up temporary structures to ease the pressure caused by the limited learning space.
When contacted for a response, the Kitagwenda District Education Officer, Sedas Asiimwe, said the district leadership was not responsible for the school’s exclusion from the main USEEP infrastructure support.
However, he acknowledged that the school’s enrollment has since grown and pledged to follow up with relevant authorities.
Education stakeholders say the situation highlights the wider infrastructure challenges faced by expanding secondary schools in rural districts, particularly those dedicated to advancing girls’ education.