Govt to re-enroll at least 5,000 out-of-school children in Busoga region
Some of the teenage mothers in Mayuge District. A new government "back to school campaign" targets such mothers. PHOTO/TAUSI NAKATO
What you need to know:
- The programme will also train 2,000 teachers to support Uganda’s new competency-based secondary school curriculum, while promoting girl-friendly and inclusive learning environments.
The Ugandan government has launched a new campaign to re-enroll at least 5,000 out-of-school children in the Busoga Sub-region, with a special focus on girls, as part of a broader push for gender-equitable education.
The initiative, dubbed the Girls’ Education and Mentorship Support (GEMS) Programme, is a partnership between the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Luigi Giussani Foundation (LGF), with support from U.S.-based philanthropy Echidna Giving, which has committed Shs2.7 billion (US$750,000) to the three-year project.
“We aim to re-enroll out-of-school girls who are willing to return to the classroom at the level they dropped out,” said Dr Cleophus Mugenyi, Director of Basic and Secondary Education. “This effort will ensure children stay in school and complete the education cycle.”
GEMS will operate across 10 districts in Busoga, addressing key barriers to education including poverty, early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence.
“The sub-region faces significant challenges such as high dropout rates and poor academic performance,” Dr Mugenyi told Monitor.
Children who are unable to return to formal schooling will receive vocational training to improve self-sufficiency, he added.
The programme will also train 2,000 teachers to support Uganda’s new competency-based secondary school curriculum, while promoting girl-friendly and inclusive learning environments.
According to Ms Gillian Atuheire, LGF’s Executive Director, the initiative is being implemented with two partners: Community Concerns Uganda (CCUg), which leads vocational skilling, and Love Your Neighbour Partners in Community Empowerment (L-PACER), which is running the school re-entry campaign.
“We are working closely with local governments and community structures, including district officials and resident district commissioners, to identify and mobilize out-of-school children,” Ms Atuheire said. “We are also engaging fathers to encourage them to support their children’s return to school.”
Ms Atuheire added that 3,500 learners will be re-enrolled, and 1,500 out-of-school youth will be trained in vocational skills over three years. “We’re also working to retain learners already in school by creating a supportive environment and training teachers to avoid practices that lead to dropouts.”
The programme, first piloted in 2022 in 72 schools across nine districts, is now expanding to 100 schools in Busoga.
Ms Joyce Abaliwano, Busoga Kingdom’s Minister for Gender, Women and Children’s Affairs, welcomed the project, citing alarming dropout statistics: “Our completion rate is just 41% at primary, 7.2% at O-level, and 2.8% at A-level. Every stakeholder must act.”
