A proposal by the Gulu district Chairman Ojara Martin Mapenduzi to give away a school built for war affected children to the Gulu Clinical Officers’ school caused heated debate in the Gulu district council last week.
A resolution was nevertheless passed by the council for the Gulu Clinical Officers’ school to relocate to Laroo Boarding Primary school, located about 4kms along the Gulu- Kitgum road.
Laroo boarding primary school was built in 2002 with financial support from the Royal Dutch Embassy and was meant to offer psychosocial support to children formerly in LRA captivity, train them in vocational skills and accelerate their learning. But the school was closed in 2014 due to financial mismanaging.
The Government lost about a billion shillings in settling numerous court cases that were brought against the school management by suppliers who were contracted to supply food items, uniforms and fuel.
While some district councilors spoke strongly against the plan to give away the school, others welcomed it, describing it as a positive development.
For the last 40 years, Gulu Clinical Officers’ School, a government owned institution, has been hosted on Gulu Referral Regional Hospital land.
Christopher Opiyo Ateker, the councilor representing Awach Sub County argued that Laroo boarding primary school should not be given away because it was opened purposely to rehabilitate and train children abducted or born in LRA captivity.
Ateker further argued that giving the facility to the medical school will be a disservice to former abducted children for whom the school was meant for.
Another councilor, Barlington P’ Ongwech told the council that there was no need to give away the school in Laroo to the clinical school saying if the school is given away, it will be a missed opportunity for the ‘‘LRA children.’’
But Betty Atim, the councilor for Paicho/Unyama welcomed the move away to relocate the clinical school to Laroo Boarding primary school stating that the facility is currently idle while the clinical officers’ school is in need of space.
Atim blamed some individuals for abuse and mismanagement of the primary school in Laroo, leading to its closure.
In the end, however, the councilors, in the 27th sitting of the Gulu district council on Thursday last week voted in favour of relocating the Gulu Clinical Officers’ school to Laroo.
The Gulu district Chairman said he will now write to inform the ministry of education about the council’s approval to relocate the clinical school.
Recently the , Japanese development agency, JICA, threatened to withdraw its financial support for building a new children ward due to lack of land at Gulu Referral Hospital.
Currently, the hospital has only 400 instead of the required 1,500 beds which is a requirement to upgrade it to a national referral hospital.
