Prince Nakibinge decries high cases of child labour, neglect

The titular head of Muslims, Prince Kassim Nakibinge has condemned the rising cases of child neglect in both rural and urban areas in different parts of the country.
Prince Nakibinge who doubles as the patron of Uganda Muslem Education Association (UMEA) schools said Friday that parents are currently continuing to abuse child rights by failing to meet basic needs including better nutrition and education, adequate supervision, safety and health care.

"Our parents are still reluctant when it comes to providing sufficient care to the children. Some parents have failed to send their children to school, pay for them school fees, feed them well and unfortunately, the parents, instead, send these children to work in shambas and forced them to join their businesses. This is done during school hours. This should stop and parents should avoid child labour," he said.

Prince Nakibinge made the remarks in Mpigi Town Council during his visit in West Buganda Muslim District.
He toured places including schools, health centers, mosques, catholic parishes, district headquarters, homes of prominent farmers and political leaders in Gomba, Butambala and Mpigi districts, with the aim of meeting all stakeholders in education sector, identify the challenges faced in improving education standards, monitoring works of UMEA schools and interact with civil servants, religious leaders and local leaders.

He also lauded the central government for promoting quality education in Muslim founded schools amidst some challenges like dilapidated structures and insufficient funds.
"We should emphasize tree planting in schools and everywhere on this planet earth to conserve our environment. Let's also desist from selling land but instead use it by setting up developments like farming. Development means to use what you have, develop it and earn but not selling it," Prince Nakibinge added.
The District Kadhi of West Buganda Shiekh Abdul-Kareem Wadda revealed that many schools have management committees but they're not operational.

"I report to you (Prince Nakibinge) that out of 10 school management committees in my area of jurisdiction, only one is operational. Others including PTA members don't know what to do and they don't know their role on promoting education. We're also faced with a problem of having unprofessional teachers in our schools. Most of them have only Uganda Certificate of Education but they're teaching our children in both primary and secondary schools," Shiekh Wadda said.
Peter Claveri Mutuluza, LCV chairman said: "Feeding children and giving them scholastic materials is still a big challenge in the islands and subcounties in the mainland like Kituntu and Kiringente. Don't leave your children to us (local government) to look after them. Who produced them?"

According to the 2018 Annual Police Crime Report, a total of 8,961 children were neglected compared to 12,152 in 2017.
The Children's Act states that parents have to ensure their children have enough food, adequate education, health care and other basic needs, but many parents have neglected these responsibilities.

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