Bishop alarmed by theft of 76 school tablets in Teso

@eosere

ACK Katakwa Diocese Bishop John Okude has asked law enforcement agencies in Teso to heighten vigilance and stop the stealing of school tablets in the area.

This followed a May 30 incident in which Achiya Echakara Primary School in Teso North lost 76 tablets to unknown people.

Okude said recurrent theft of the electronic gadgets meant the government’s school Digital Literacy Program may cripple digital learning, a development he said could negatively impact on pupils’ studies.

“There is an increase in incidents of theft in our schools and we want authorities concerned especially security agencies, to up their game and ensure the lost tablets are recovered,” Okude said in an interview.

“We want to find out who is responsible. We also want to know when these gadgets are stolen, to who do they end up with, because going by the trend of theft, it looks like there is a ready market for the electronic devises making the gadgets a hot cake.”

The loss according to Achiya Echakara Primary School head Linet Anyang’ was revealed by pupils who had reported to school early morning.

The learners who had gone to a water point along the institution’s fence to fetch water discovered some of the gadgets dropped by the thieves.

They alerted teachers about the discovery and it is then that the instructors discovered the school’s ICT room had been broken into.

“We want the security agencies to swiftly move into action and help establish where the market for these devises is because if we don’t stop this madness, it is our children who will suffer,” the bishop said.

“It is our prayer that the tablets are recovered because CBC learning without those gadgets will be a big challenge. This is because most of the learning areas require ICT application and those tablets have been of great use to the teachers together with the learners,” the school head said.

“The gadgets were in school because the school was in session. But when schools close for the holidays, the tablets are usually taken to the DCC’s office for safe custody.”

“Up to now we have not received any clues but we are still hopeful that one day they will be found and returned to the school for use by the learners. Without these gadgets, the learners are going to face a very big challenge.”

The incident happened after a similar one at the neighbouring Ikapolok Primary School in Malaba Central ward, where unknown people broke into the school staffroom and stole 14 tablets.

The tablets are yet to be recovered in the incident that happened last year.

In April 2021 again, some 71 electronic gadgets meant for the government’s school Digital Literacy Programme that had been stolen from Moding Primary School in Teso North were recovered in Uganda.

The gadgets were intercepted at an unofficial crossing border point by Ugandan police and a suspect arrested.

The suspect was identified as Evans Wanda, a 24-year-old Ugandan who was riding on a motorbike with the gadgets when he was intercepted.

Upon recovery, the Ugandan police alerted their Kenyan counterparts who visited the Lwakhakha police station in Uganda, and identified the branded gadgets.

It was later established they were stolen from Moding Primary school in Teso North subcounty.

A guard at the school had reported the gadgets stolen at an unknown time on March 31 at the Moding police station.

The thieves who broke into the head teacher’s office, deputy head teacher’s office and the staffroom, made away with 71 tablets for the Competency-Based Curriculum training.

Wanda had told police he bought the gadgets from a known contact in Bungoma town but his narrative was countered by police.