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At least 30 government-aided primary schools in Gulu City and Gulu District have been selected to benefit from a donation of 130,000 textbooks and reading materials aimed at improving literacy among young learners.
The first consignment of the books, donated from the United States, was handed over to education officials from the two local governments in Gulu City on Friday. The books were handed over by the Reading Association of Uganda (RAU) through a donation from the Room to Read Uganda Project.
The books, comprising storybooks and curriculum support materials, are expected to be distributed to libraries in 21 schools in Gulu District and 19 schools in Gulu City to promote a robust reading culture among pupils.
Harrison Kiggundu, the RAU Team Leader, said the books will first undergo a review to establish their suitability for children and compliance with the national education curriculum before being distributed to schools.
Kiggundu said the review, assessment, consolidation, and repackaging process is expected to take between two and three weeks, after which the books will be allocated to the selected schools.
“These books are going to be first reviewed before they are taken to schools. There is consolidation that is going to take place for like two to three weeks, where they are going to be reviewed and assessed, then repacked and allocated to the different schools,” Kiggundu said.
He said similar donations had been made to schools in Mitooma and Mubende districts, adding that a second consignment comprising 70,000 reading books would also be delivered to schools in Gulu City and Gulu District.
Harriet Atim Okot, the Gulu District Education Officer, said the education department had already trained teachers in library management and established reading and debating clubs in preparation for the arrival of the books.
She expressed optimism that the donation would improve pupils’ reading abilities and academic performance within the next two years.
“We believe if these books go into the hands of the learners, we should see a change within the next two years,” Atim said.
She commended RAU and the Room to Read Uganda Project for the donation, noting that the books had been verified by the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) and found suitable for primary school learners.
Proscovia Aber, the Senior Education Officer for Gulu City, said samples of the donated books were learner-friendly and contained illustrations that would make reading easier and help pupils grasp concepts quickly.
She noted that poor literacy levels remain a challenge in Gulu and other parts of the country, expressing hope that the books would help improve children’s reading habits.
“Literacy is not only a problem in Gulu District but also in other parts of Uganda. We believe these books are going to go a long way in improving the reading habits of our children. If you look at the samples of these books, they are very easy to read,” Aber said.
However, Aber said the books would be distributed according to the library capacity of the schools selected to benefit from the first batch and cautioned school administrators against improper storage and misuse of the materials.
Justin Obol Simpleman, the Gulu District Chairperson, who received the consignment on behalf of the two local governments, said he expects the donation to improve academic performance, particularly in rural schools that have struggled academically over the years.
In the 2025 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Gulu District registered 2,024 candidates. Of these, 28 obtained Division One, 687 scored Division Two, 603 were in Division Three, while 306 obtained Division Four. Another 369 candidates were graded in Division U, while 31 were placed in Division X.
Currently, the books will be stored at Gulu Core Primary Teachers College pending assessment before distribution.
