Muslim Leaders in
Arua have embarked on mobilizing and taking back-to-school,
girls who had dropped out. Jaffar Yasin
Drate, the Arua Muslim District Social Services Secretary, told Uganda Radio Network that the initiative was
started because Muslim-founded schools have not been performing well in Primary
Leaving Examinations.
Drate revealed that the first thing the office of the Kadhi did was to reach out to
many of the schools to bring them on board as part of the Arua Muslim District
and easily mobilize those who needed support. Under this mobilisation, 500
children were supported with scholastic materials.
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Drate noted
that the initiative is also aimed to encourage the Muslim community to embrace
education like other religious denominations and also to give the girl-child
who drops out of school after getting pregnant, a second chance at education.
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Drate blamed
the parents and brothers of such girls for keeping them at home, even when they
are academically sound.
Since the
initiative started in March 2024, 120 children have been sent back to school in
Kampala, both in primary school, on full scholarships, with funds from Turkey.
Drate said
the support will next year be extended to learners who excel in this year’s
national examinations.
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The initiative
comes when education performance in West Nile is dismal.
Raymond
Ombere, the Senior Education Officer of Arua City, blamed the low education
level in West Nile on the negative attitude of parents, who are hesitant to pay
even 1,000 shillings towards their children’s education.
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going to drink.”//
The recent
national housing and population census results released by the Uganda National
Bureau of Statistics indicate that 60 percent of the youth in the West Nile sub-region
are not educated, and not in employment.
The report
also shows that 28 percent of people in West Nile have never attended school,
29 percent have no formal education, only 7.8 percent have completed formal
education and only 14.7 percent have a first degree.