538 Pupils Share Three Teachers as Nebbi School Battles Severe Overcrowding

What the report says

Paleo NFE School in Nebbi District is facing severe overcrowding, with 538 pupils sharing just three teachers, according to Nile Post. The school, which has operated for about 25 years on a half-acre site, says its limited land, few classrooms and lack of desks have pushed many learners into bare-floor seating and temporary structures.

The report says Primary One has 340 pupils in one classroom, while Primary Two has 134 and Primary Three has 64. School leaders say the staffing gap became worse after some teachers were removed for not meeting qualification requirements. Headteacher Teddy Oyeru said the school still needs to serve children who might otherwise travel long distances or drop out, but its facilities have not kept pace with enrolment.

Nile Post also reported that Nebbi district education officials are seeking ministry approval to upgrade all seven Non-Formal Education centres in the district into full primary schools. District education officer Innocent Openjtho said the authorities are aware of the pressure on these centres but do not want to close them because that could force children out of school. As a general background, Uganda’s COPE and other non-formal primary programmes were created to widen access for children who missed regular schooling, but they can face serious resource constraints when enrolment rises faster than infrastructure.

The school has appealed for additional land and support from education stakeholders and local leaders. Officials say current capitation grants help with basic operations, but they are not enough to solve the wider shortage of classrooms, teachers and learning materials.