Flying School Library full of “Obsolete” Books

Students at the East African Civil Aviation Academy in Soroti have shunned the school library citing obsolete instructional materials. They claim the academy, which is the biggest in East Africa, has not updated its library in many years. A number of students who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity for fear of victimization by the academy leadership say they entirely depend on summarized notes issued by their instructors. Some of the books in the scarcely stocked library include Dynamical & Physical Meteorology 1957, an introduction to the mechanics of solids 1959, the Air Almanac 1971 January – April, the Air Almanac 1968 January – April, the Air Almanac 1979 July – December.

Others are Airport and route facilities financial data and summary Traffic data 1978, 1975 International Civil Aviation organization Doc 9124 Assembly resolutions in force, Technical assistance Guideline Number two basic Aviation English 1966, ICAO circular 1975 Air Freight Asia & Pacific  and Specimen performance Charts For Aero planes certified in Performance Group A Civil aviation Authority London December 1976 among others. The only new material in the library, are newspapers. However, the management of the academy has since suspended buying of new news papers over accumulated debts.

A senior instructor who declined to be named says that he has resorted to downloading instructional material from the internet because of lack of books in their library. He says a couple of his colleagues rely on their experience to teach. Aviation schools all over the world are expected to use a standard syllabus for training pilots. Ronald Lodiong, the acting Director East African Civil Aviation Academy declined to comment about the state of the library. Susan Kataike, the Senior Public Relations Officer in the ministry of works and transport says the materials in the library are not obsolete as claimed by students but  declined to explain further.

She didn’t explain whether or not government has any plan to stock the library of the aviation school, but only said things are done in phases. Kataike said government had carried out major renovations of the school saying it is now in a better condition compared to the previous years. The Academy has a population of  110 students.