education 22 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Iganga's Kigulu College struggles with tents as classrooms due to high enrollment
Kigulu College, a prominent government-aided secondary school in Iganga District, is facing a severe infrastructure crisis, forcing students into temporary tents and makeshift classrooms due to an overwhelming enrollment of 2,800 learners. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/iganga-s-academic-giant-choked-by-high-enrolment-forced-to-teach-in-tents-5505254
Kigulu College, once lauded as an academic “Giant” in the Busoga sub-region for its impressive performance, is now buckling under the weight of its own success. The school, a beneficiary of the Universal Secondary Education (USE) program, is grappling with an unprecedented student population of approximately 2,800. This surge in numbers has led to severe overcrowding, a desperate shortage of desks, and stretched science and computer facilities beyond their capacity.
To accommodate the rising student numbers, the school administration has resorted to using large emergency tents donated by UNICEF and makeshift structures built from basic materials. While six additional classrooms have been constructed using local contributions and two more donated by the district, these are far from sufficient. “When the classes are crowded, it heavily affects the teaching and learning process because both the teacher’s and learner’s movements are restricted,” explained headteacher Ms. Rehema Kasuubo Rebecca.
The school has formally petitioned the Ministry of Education and Sports for urgent assistance. Their wishlist includes Shs2 billion for a multi-story building to house classrooms and offices, an upgraded computer lab, a proper assembly hall, and a substantial supply of desks. Currently, the school lacks a main assembly hall and has a very limited number of computers, hindering the implementation of the new curriculum.
Adding to the challenges, many of the school’s older permanent structures are in a state of disrepair and require significant renovation. Staffing is also a concern, with 25 out of 65 teachers being paid from the school’s internally generated funds, money the headteacher believes could be better utilized for infrastructure development if these teachers were on the government payroll.
Despite these daunting obstacles, Kigulu College continues to achieve excellent academic results, building on a legacy dating back to its founding in 1979. Parents’ confidence in the institution’s track record is cited as a key reason for the high enrollment, though the headteacher also calls for a greater appreciation of education’s value from some parents.