Pupils risk lives on boats to access education

As the Education ministry continues cracking down on unlicensed schools in the country, several learners in Entebbe, Wakiso District, are bracing the challenges of accessing quality education.
Many have been compelled to change schools and brave long and risky journeys such as crossing Lake Victoria.
That is the tale of more than 30 pupils, who cross Lake Victoria from Buwaya Village in Kasanje Town Council to study at
Nakiwogo, Kiwafu, and Nsamizi Army primary schools in Entebbe Municipality.
Some parents shunned Namugala, the nearby government-aided primary school in Buwaya Village over poor academic standards, yet they cannot afford to educate their children in the private schools in the village.
“After all, even the distance from home to Namugala is too long; approximately five kilometres,” says Ms Gladys Nakiberu, mother of Alex Kakembo, one of the pupils who cross the lake for education.
However, there is still a price to pay.

The hardest challenge for the school-going pupils, is mainly associated with crossing the lake. Even with the presence of a free government ferry helping people to cross with their merchandise to and from Buwaya, its schedules rarely conform to the learners’ school schedule.
The ferry departs from Buwaya-bay to Entebbe, at 6am and by the time they get to school, it is late to catch up with the rest of the learners.

Aidah Nakalema, a Primary Seven pupil, says many learners, especially girls cannot access the dock by 6am because the area is unsafe.

After the first route to Nakiwogo from Buwaya, the ferry operators rest for about an hour to have breakfast and resume after 10am.
This implies that when the pupils miss the very early ferry, they have to find other alternative means to get to school, lest they miss classes.

Nakalema also says they are apparently in fear of drowning, saying that some boats they board have no life jackets, which puts their lives in danger.
“At times, we catch the ferry in time but then it takes long while loading vehicles and other heavy luggage making us reach school very late,” Jennifer Nyadoi, another P.7 pupil, says.

Meanwhile, Morris Kato, another pupil says once they miss the ferry, they ask other boat owners for a ride but they have to participate in loading and offloading passengers’ goods.
Nyadoi explains that their parents had negotiated with some boat operators to ferry the learners for Shs30,000 every term but it didn’t work because some operators later failed to honour it.

Evening lessons
The P.7 candidate have to decide between attending the evening lessons and missing the ferry or missing lessons to catch the ferry.
Easter Nabukeera says since they are in a candidate class, they cannot miss out on the extra lessons hence have to improvise with other means of crossing the lake back home.

Alex Kakembo, another pupil at Nakiwogo, however, says girls are mainly targeted by some boat operators, who allegedly defile them.
“My sister dropped out of school after being impregnated by one of these operators who subsequently denied responsibility of the pregnancy,” he says.
He appeals to government to provide a boat specifically for leaners in the area.

Head teacher speaks out
Mr Deo Maseruka, the Nakiwogo Primary School head teacher, acknowledges that a reasonable number of girls have so far dropped out of school after being impregnated thanks to free boat rides.

According to Mr Maseruka, last year, they promoted 96 pupils to Primary Seven but apparently, there are 64 pupils after the others dropped out either after getting pregnant or failure to manage due to the long distance.
He says the school has limited space to set up a boarding section as some parents have always asked.
The school has more than 700 pupils occupying small classrooms.
Mr Masereka says the only alternative is to advise parents to caution their children, especially girls against being lured by men in exchange for a boat or boda boda rides.

Boat operators deny
Mr Charles Kalolo, has for more than two decades transported people from Buwaya Landing Site to Nakiwogo on a wooden boat. He denies the allegation of defilement, arguing that they are also parents who are afraid of wasting the future of young girls and they condemn such acts.
“We often carry them without charging them,’’ he says.
He explains that although they often help the children when they are stuck, they are sometimes forced to leave them in preference of passengers that pay high fares.

Marathon
The Entebbe deputy mayor, Mr Richard Ssekyondo, says the municipal council in collaboration with Monitor Publications Ltd has organised a marathon next weekend to raise resources to revamp 15 government-aided primary schools in the area.
“We asked every school to forward at least one item they feel needs urgent attention. We intend to address these challenges out of the proceeds we anticipate to get from the marathon,” he says.
Mr Ssekyondo, who is also the education secretary, says they are considering building a dormitory as they press government for a boat.