Soroti Demonstration Primary School is facing serious challenges ranging from water shortages to limited sanitation facilities, despite a high enrollment of learners currently standing at 1,177.
According to the school’s head teacher, Emmanuel Etieku, the situation has placed the administration under immense pressure, as more than 3,000 learners depend on a single borehole, especially when tap water is unavailable.
The borehole is not only used by the school but is also shared with nearby institutions, including a Vocational Training Institute (VTI), Bethany Comprehensive Secondary School, Soroti Theological College, and at times even Kyambogo University students.
Etieku explained that the situation often puts young pupils at a disadvantage, as they are intimidated by older students who crowd the borehole in search of water. This has made it difficult for primary school learners to access water during the day.
To manage the crisis, the school has resorted to organizing boarding learners to fetch water at night. According to the head teacher, pupils line up late in the evening and sometimes remain at the borehole until midnight to secure enough water for use.
Efforts to harvest rainwater have also proven insufficient. The school currently has only one water tank, which cannot sustain the population even for a single day, especially during dry periods when both rainfall and tap water are unavailable. Etieku has therefore appealed to well-wishers to support the school with additional water tanks.
Sanitation is another major concern. The school has only two sanitation facilities—one block with five stances for girls and another for boys—serving a large student population, including about 490 pupils in the boarding section. This has significantly strained the available facilities and raised concerns about hygiene and health.
The head teacher is now calling on authorities and development partners to urgently intervene and support the school in improving its water and sanitation infrastructure to create a safer and more conducive learning environment for the learners.
