By Tolit Ivan
The Government, through the Ministry of Education and Sports, has donated science kits to 20 government aided primary schools in Gulu City to enhance the practical teaching and learning of science subjects.
Each beneficiary school received a box containing assorted science equipment, including basic electricity apparatus, simple machines like microscope, first aid kits, magnetism and measurement tools, heat and light energy equipment, as well as human body models such as the muscular and skeletal systems, internal organs, the reproductive system, and ear models, among others.
The beneficiary schools include Vanguard Primary School, Gulu Primary School, Labourline Primary School, Christ the King Primary School, St. Peter’s Primary School, and Mary Immaculate Primary School, among others.
Speaking during the handover ceremony held on Tuesday at Vanguard Primary School in Laroo-Pece Division Richard Irwenyo, the Gulu City Education Officer, said the science kits were distributed to 20 primary schools including 15 schools that performed well in last year’s Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) and five schools that registered poor performance.
According to Irwenyo, the donation is aimed at improving the practical teaching of science subjects, noting that many schools have for years relied largely on theoretical lessons due to a lack of equipment, a challenge that has negatively affected science education.
Opiyo Pius Godfrey, the Deputy Head Teacher of Vanguard Primary School, welcomed the donation, saying it will greatly ease the work of teachers who have for long been forced to teach science mainly through theory because of inadequate practical materials.
Peter Banya, the Deputy Resident City Commissioner (RCC) in charge of Laroo-Pece Division, said the donation is in line with President Yoweri Museveni’s vision of promoting science education as a key driver of Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.
The Ministry of Education and Sports has continued to prioritize the provision of science teaching materials to schools across the country as part of efforts to strengthen science education and improve learners’ practical skills.