YES BUNDIBUGYO WILL MAINTAIN THE SERVICES AT THE E-CENTRE

Bundibugyo District leadership has pledged to keep walking   the journey of ICT promotion that was started in as far as 2011. In a meeting held on 4th December 2013at the District headquarters. The meeting   chaired by  Mr. Nsubuga, the Deputy CAO, was held  with an  objective of Discussing  with the District leaders the strategy of sustaining the E-center and jointly mobilizing resources  for the operations of the the E- center starting January 2014. 
Participants in the meeting were the District Secretary of Finance, the   Deputy CAO, District planner, District NAADs Coordinator and the District commercial officer RIC-NET team led by the Executive Director Mr. Murugahara John Silco, the program Manager, the Systems Administrator, the Documentation officer and the center ICT officer. 

The Deputy CAO chairing the meeting.

The CAO appreciated the support of RIC-NET and RWECO for the three years. he said the  project  has enabled the Local Government and citizens share reliable and timely information and mostly the District plans which have increased community ownership and participation in government programs and projects established by the Local Government.

The E.D RIC-NET presents at the Meeting

While presenting the status of RIC-NET after 31st December 2013 when the project has closed, The Executive Director mentioned that RIC-NET will keep supporting Bundibugyo E-center in terms of updating and hosting the District website and the E-Library, training the District staff in managing the online platforms, Maintenance of the ICT officer up to March 2014 and repair and maintenance of equipments. 

In his closing remarks, the   District secretary of finance noted that the leadership was committed to keep the center running and among the strategies in place, an officer from the planning unit was attached to the E-centre for support supervision, a maintenance,management plan had been drawn awaiting approval of the District council. In the long term plan the District will write and engage the public service commission for recruitment of a permanent ICT officer.

my personal experience with the use of trac fm software

I share with you my personal experience with the use of trac fm

What we wanted to find out:

 Parents’ willingness to contribute a fee towards provision of lunch for children at schools.

Background:
- A survey shows that many children are not getting lunch  at schools.(only 25% take packed lunch)
- Parents neglect their responsibility to give  their children packed lunch
- Children who do not take lunch cannot learn properly and this affect their performance.
- Suggested is to make parents pay a small fee of about 10.000 Ugx per child per term so that schools can provide lunch.
Question paused over Radio:

 Should schools charge parents a small fee to provide lunch for pupils?
Instruction to radio listeners: 

Go to messages on your phone, type LIFE, followed by either YES or NO and send this to 8585.  This service is free of charge!  Only your first vote will be added to the results.

THE RESULT OF THIS QUICK SURVEY

 726 people participated and 86% of the agreed with the suggestion.

Details are at:  http://www.tracfm.org/p/view/311

ACTION SO FAR TAKEN

With the above results, we engaged schools managements, parents and other CSO to start a campaign of parents supporting feeding pupils in schools. This campaign has been well received and so far 23 schools have taken it for candidate classes of p.6 to p.7.

Evidence of such campaign day is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2JI1nAriBw we are still building more partnership.

SUB-MATH, ICT EXAMS FOR NEXT YEAR

By: PATIENCE AHIMBISIBWE
KAMPALA- Pioneer Form Six candidates of sub-math and ICT subsidiary subjects will, for now, not sit for their final examinations after the government deferred the papers to next year.

According to the minister of Education, Ms Jessica Alupo, many schools have, until now not acquired equipment to facilitate the sitting of the exams.
This has been compounded by the fact that most schools have no access to power, lack computers and teachers.

As a result, this has forced the government to push exams for the two papers to next year when the next lot will sit.
The minister’s remarks come after critics said the government wasn’t ready to implement the policy.

Ms Jessica Alupo, minister of Education

“It is true ICT was made compulsory but the policy was adopted with the view that computers would have been distributed to all schools by the time pioneer students sit for their papers, but we didn’t have the intervention,” Ms Alupo told Daily Monitor in an interview.

“For this academic year, sub-math and ICT will not be part of the subjects to determine any candidates’ results.”

Decision taken
“We have taken a decision that they would not be compulsory until next year. We hope by the end of next year, all schools would have been taken care of.”

Earlier, the Makerere University academic registrar, Mr Charles Ssentongo, said the Public Universities Joint Admissions Board had issued a new criterion to candidates following the directive scrapping four principal subjects.

The maximum points a candidate could score reduced from 25 to 20.
However, the latest development leaves candidates with a maximum of 19 points to join any of the five public universities on government scholarship.
Ms Alupo said the ministry would still have to consult National Council for Higher Education and National Curriculum Development Centre to see how they could exclusively train ICT teachers.

RIC-NET STICKER

ACCESS TO INFORMATION FACILITATES POVERTY REDUCTION.

RIC-NET in partnership with Development Research and Training (DRT) with support from Development Initiative (DI) are implementing a project; the use of data/information for poverty alleviation in the seven Districts of the Rwenzori region. Under this project RIC-NET is documenting voices and case studies/ success stories of individuals and groups who have used information to  improve their livelihoods or reduce poverty in their areas.

Research indicates that access to information can cause advancement of socio-economic rights and development. In line with this, the partnership therefore also aims at pointing out the relationship between access to information and poverty eradication in the Rwenzori region. Approximately twenty persons are going to be documented; they include Civil and Political leaders, farmers, students, business persons, and CSO representatives. A video documentary on their experience in the use of information to improve their livelihoods will be shared with the different RIC-NET stakeholders through the different platforms like Information Centres, Youtube, community meetings among others. 

To kick start this project, DRT and RIC-NET staff on 27th Nov.13 visited some members of Bwera Information Centre (BIC) in Bwera and documented their experiences.Thrilling and turning point stories were shared and captured on video. Members shared the information and livelihood challenges they had before, what they did to overcome them-search for information, where they got it from, how they applied it and the positive impact this information has had in their lives/work. Here below are photos from the documentation exercise;

Astalhuzi a plant doctor and progressive farmer shares how information on management of Banana Bacterial wilt has reduced the spread of the disease and also increased her yields and incomes.

Astalhuzi a plant doctor and progressive farmer shares her experience on how information has boosted her goat rearing project and increased her incomes.

Alex Thabulenga explains how information to grow mangoes&manage their pests&diseases has improved his yields.

Alex Thabulenga sharing how Apiary has boosted his income.

 Baluku John, a teacher, and farmer  sharing how nursery beds -tree planting has facilitated poverty reduction in his life.

The BIC Coordinator Mr. Mapoze sharing how the IC accesses & shares inform with the community&the milestones registered so far..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RIC-NET Executive Director explaining RIC-NET's milestones in sharing information for poverty alleviation at RIC-NET Office.

NTOROKO DISTRICT MAIN HOSPITAL TAKEN BY WIND

By ICTO- Ntoroko

As the saying goes “misfortunes do not come in singles” the District always faced with terrible disasters like Long Droughts, heavy floods now the heavy winds in Karugutu Town council have mercilessly unroofed the Karugutu Health Centre iv amid afternoon showers at around 3:30 PM

The patients have been left helpless as the medical staff and police look on. This calamity has left many patients hanging and we pray that some help (hand of God) comes in on time to save the lives of the many.

The heavy wind deposited the roof about 150 metres from the building

The General ward whose roof was dismantled

Patients helplessily sit outside the troubled Ward

Disastrous day what next?

Patients on the watch