By Mulengera Reporters
Vurra Secondary School is running out of room. Located in Arua in West Nile, the government-aided school is facing a familiar challenge among Uganda’s growing education institutions: more students are seeking places, but infrastructure and financing are struggling to keep pace.
Enrollment is projected to reach 900 students next year, while the school has set a long-term target of 1,200 learners. Without more classrooms and accommodation, the school could eventually be forced to turn away qualified students.
That is why expansion has become an urgent priority.
The school has already taken a major step, completing a 120-bed boys’ dormitory valued at Shs280 million. A Shs120 million credit facility secured through Equity Bank Uganda helped make the project possible, easing pressure on the school’s existing accommodation.
“We opened an account with Equity in late 2024, around November, and by January, we were granted a savings facility of Shs120 million to put up the dormitory,” says David Dima, Head Teacher of Vurra Secondary School.
Founded by the Church in 1981, Vurra Secondary has grown steadily over the years. But as demand for education in the area increases, the school needs to expand without diverting too much of its operating budget away from teaching and other day-to-day activities.
Public funding supports the school’s operations, but major infrastructure projects require additional resources. For school leaders, using money meant for routine activities to finance large construction projects would put unnecessary pressure on the institution.
The partnership with Equity Bank Uganda has provided an alternative.
The completed boys’ dormitory now accommodates 120 students, significantly easing pressure on the school’s existing facilities. But the school’s growing population means another major project is already on the horizon.
This time, the focus is on the girls.
Vurra Secondary plans to construct a matching girls’ dormitory, with completion targeted for February 2027. The aim is to have the facility ready for incoming Senior Five students in March 2027.
“The completed dormitory currently accommodates 120 students and has eased pressure on our existing facilities,” Dima says. “Now, we want to build a matching dormitory for the girls, with completion targeted for February next year so that incoming Senior Five students in March, 2027 can be accommodated.”
For Dima, expanding accommodation is also about ensuring that growth does not come at the expense of equal access.
“Right now, we cannot admit more students than our current capacity, yet enrollment is increasing,” he says. “I want to ensure equal opportunities for both boys and girls.”
The school’s plans extend beyond the two dormitories.
With enrollment expected to reach 900 students next year and eventually 1,200, Vurra Secondary is acquiring additional land to create room for future development. It is also exploring flexible financing to purchase a school bus, which would improve transport and help the institution attract students from surrounding communities.
School leaders are also developing financial support packages for teachers and non-teaching staff who are not on the government payroll.
For Equity Bank Uganda, the experience at Vurra Secondary demonstrates how structured financing can help schools respond to infrastructure needs without waiting until they have accumulated enough cash to begin construction.
Equity Bank Uganda Managing Director Gift Shoko says institutions can structure financing in a way that allows projects to start immediately, with repayment beginning once the completed facility is operational.
“In terms of the structure you want, you don’t have to wait,” Shoko says. “It can be put up immediately so that work starts now, where you only start paying after the block is complete and operational.”
For Vurra Secondary, that model is helping turn rising enrollment from a constraint into an opportunity.
The Shs120 million facility has already contributed to a Shs280 million, 120-bed boys’ dormitory. Now, with plans for a girls’ dormitory to be completed by February 2027, the school is preparing to accommodate incoming Senior Five students in March 2027 and meet a projected enrollment of 900 next year.
Ultimately, the school wants to serve 1,200 learners.
As it acquires land, considers a school bus and develops support for staff outside the government payroll, Vurra Secondary is betting on planned expansion rather than simply reacting to growth.
Its partnership with Equity Bank Uganda illustrates how access to structured financing can help a rural school build the infrastructure it needs today while preparing for the larger student population it expects tomorrow. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
