STRONG WINDS SEND LEARNERS AT EDIOFE BOYS PRIMARY SCHOOL FROM CLASSROOMS TO TREE SHEDS

P.3 Pupils attending lessons undet a Mango tree due to shortage of classrooms.(Photo by Godwin Abedican)

By Martin Anguyo

Arua City

Following the heavy rain and strong winds of October 13, 2025 that led to the destruction of structures around Ediofe cathedral, in Arua city, in which Ediofe Boys primary school was also affected, school administration has been forced to shift some pupils to be taught under trees raising concerns over their safety during the rains season.

This comes after the teachers resumed lessons after a 32-days industrial action.
The dire situation at the school has therefore made teachers at Ediofe Boys’ Primary School to appeal to the city leadership to expedite the process of re-roofing the two classrooms that were blown off by the storm.

A visit to the school on Monday morning revealed that over 1,000 learners had reported back to class. However, due to the shortage of classrooms and space, teachers were forced to remove desks and replace them with floor carpets to create enough room for the pupils.

Victor Alioni, the head teacher of the school, expressed concern over the situation, saying that if the roofing works are not done promptly, the school may be compelled to reduce the number of learners it accommodates.

″As I am talking, we are forced to remove some of the classes to go and learn under a tree because we can not leave them like that and we have to continue teaching them. We are struggling to keep all the children in school, but without enough classroom space, it will be difficult to continue teaching effectively,” Alioni said.

The situation affected the primary 6 and 7 class whose classrooms were de-roofed, forcing them to be shifted to the P3 and P.1 classrooms res[reactively, with the primary one class being squeezed in to one room, while one stream of the primary 3 class had to be sacrificed hence sending them to the Tree-shed classroom.

Some p.3 pupils attending lessons while in their improvised classroom (Photo by Godwin Abedican)

Steven Drasiku, a teacher handling both Primary Six and Primary Seven classes described the situation as a serious setback that has made teaching extremely challenging ″From today we actually started from zero, we made new timetable and we have been shifted to P.3 class and the class is completely not enough but I am now crying to the city that they should real come to our rescue” Steven said.

Similarly, teacher, Edonia Judith, highlighted the discomfort and disruption the learners are enduring, especially during the ongoing rainy season. ″Passing is a problem concerning class control, concerning marking, because when there were two sections, you teach this section and you finish their marking on spot” she noted.

The damaged classroom block at the school (File photo by Martin Anguyo)

Efforts to get a comment from Arua City education officials regarding plans to re-roof the affected classrooms proved futile by the time of compiling this story. The officials referred inquiries to the Town Clerk, who was also unreachable as repeated calls went unanswered.
Ediofe Boys’ Primary School was not the only facility affected by the disaster; other structures, including the Ediofe Cathedral Parish offices, were also damaged.

The incident at Ediofe Boys’ Primary School reflects a growing concern over the vulnerability of school infrastructure in the region to harsh weather conditions.

With climate patterns becoming increasingly unpredictable, education stakeholders are being urged to invest in stronger, more resilient structures to safeguard learning environments and ensure that children’s education continues uninterrupted, regardless of the changing weather trends.

This structure damaged is one of the block the Old Boys of the school recently did a face-lifting to.