Minister orders parents to eject children from mines

Karamoja- The minister for Karamoja Affairs, Mr John Byabagambi, has issued a directive to all parents in Karamoja Sub-region to stop sending their children graze livestock during school time and also eject from gold mines in the areas.

According to Mr Byabagambi, parents have continually subjected their children to performing various tasks, including fending meals and income instead of enrolling them in school.

The minister’s directive last week follows a poor pupil enrolment registered in the sub-region.
He noted that despite government efforts to construct schools in the sub-region, many parents still see their children as a source of cheap labour.

“Children who are supposed to be at school but you find them grazing livestock in the bushes while others are engaged in gold mining. This must be stopped,” he directed.

Mr Byabagambi, however, appealed to the district leaders and councillors to pass by-laws with some penalties for parents who defy government dirtective. “It’s only through education that one can cause change and development in Karamoja, short of that it will be very difficult for residents to appreciate government projects, “he said.

Mr Raymond Korobe, the Nakapiripirit District education officer, said the number of school drop outs in the area is a social threat to development of the nation.

According to Mr Korobe, Nakapiripirit District has more than 40,000 school going-age children who are not enrolled.

“Although many are in the fields grazing cattle and mining, some are just loitering in the trading centres,” he noted.

He decried the government’s failure to come up with strong policies and measures to ensure that education is considered a compulsory venture.

Mr Korobe, however, proposed that government should offer some incentives to parents who take their children to school to encourage others.

Background
Last year, Mr Simon Peter Odwar, the Kaabong District education officer, revealed that the gross enrolment rate is at 30 per cent while the rest (70 per cent) are grazing cattle.
He said girls in the area are married off early while 73 per cent of them do not complete primary school. Mr Odwar also observed that 33 parishes in the district have no primary school, thus complicating the situation where children cannot trek for more than 5km to school, which eventually forces them out of school.
[email protected]