Read what Kotido SSS teachers have done since closure of schools

With financial support from Andre Foods International (AFI), the school started “vegetable growing projects”.

By Hope Owiny Ochero

Kotido—24, December 2021: Earlier this year, Kotido senior secondary school commercialized its agriculture project with a major aim of supplementing students’ diet next year.

In March, the school, with financial support from Andre Foods International (AFI), an NGO operating in Karamoja sub-region, started “vegetable growing projects”. Tomatoes, green paper, eggplant and spinach, among others, were planted around the school compound.

With support from AFI, the learning institution again started a fishery project where a modern fish pond divided into two segments with a concrete wall was built. 2,700 fingerlings were dropped inside. 1,500 of which were catfish while 1,200 were tilapia.

“The vegetable garden has become dry after everything got sold, including catfish which was sold this week of festivities,” TND News’ Hope Owiny reports.

Jimmy Owilli—deputy head teacher of the school, told this publication in an exclusive interview that the harvests from the vegetable garden are sold because reopening of the school took long. He adds the vegetables were perishing.

When asked about the catfish, he admitted the school sold all the catfish because the mature ones were eating the younger ones.

This publication has independently learnt that the school sold only 76 catfish out of 1,500 that were put in the pond. We are told the “rest had gone missing”.

Responding to that, Owilli said, “Over 1,420 catfish either died or were eaten by the older ones on top of the school feeding them on school [students] feeds.”

While selling, the biggest fish weighed less than 500g, yet Owilli had said even some of the catfish weighing over 300g got masticated by the big ones.

“The school will continue to breed tilapia fish to supplement the diet of the students,” he adds.

Rumors that we could not verify reveal quartered teachers within the school premises feasted on the catfish.