SOUTHERN PROVINCE MUHANGA — Primary and secondary school head teachers in Muhanga district have agreed to buy new laptops by June this year in order to facilitate their work and enhance their performance. The head teachers made the resolution during a 2009 school year planning meeting, held on Thursday at the Muhanga cultural centre. According to the directors, the money to purchase the laptops will be deducted from the school capitation grants and personal bank loans. They said that the move will have teachers acquainted with ICT skills in order to prepare education reports, and share the skills with pupils and students in line with the government initiative of ‘One laptop per child.’ Addressing the teachers, Claude Sebashi, the district education director, disclosed that increasing access to Information and Communication Technology in the district was included in their performance contracts. ‘These laptops will enable the teachers to work efficiently and provide reports on time and compete effectively with other districts in 2009 in terms of innovation’, Sebashi said. Other issues raised at the meeting included promoting the use of English, rescheduling the primary school timetable, and posting teachers in some schools which have increased school enrolment this academic year. The education department in Muhanga was recently awarded among the best performers in the 2008 performance contracts and the head teachers celebrated the success promising to double their efforts in 2009 academic year. Ends
