Legislators call for free compulsory boarding school education

Members of Parliament from the Karamoja sub-region have asked the government to develop and implement a policy for free compulsory boarding school education for all learners.

The motion moved by Pian County Member of Parliament, Hon. Remigio Achiahighlighted the historical challenges faced by the Karamoja sub-region where 65 percent of the population lacks formal education.

Achia moved the motion on the third day of the regional parliament sittings in Gulu City on Friday, 30 August 2024.

He attributed this to high school dropout rates driven by poverty, the absence of school feeding programmes, long walking distances, cultural responsibilities such as livestock farming, and historical injustices against the region.

“The high dropout rates at the primary level have led to a gross secondary school enrollment rate of only 19 per cent resulting in one of the lowest adult literacy rates in the country at 25 per cent as of 2019/2020,” Achia said.

Achia further expressed concern over the impact of these low education levels noting that many male dropouts are often recruited into violent activities such as cattle rustling, while female dropouts face early marriages and teenage motherhood.He argued that the barriers cited contribute to the region’s high maternal and child mortality rates.

Napak District Woman Representative, Hon. Faith Nakut who seconded the motion echoed concerns about the cyclical insecurity in Karamoja, linking it to low education levels and pervasive household poverty.

“Many children of school-going age (3-18 years) are absorbed into livestock herding which exposes them to the risks of conflict and eventually drags them into cycles of violence,” she said.

The motion was supported by several legislators who stressed that the human and economic costs of addressing insecurity in Karamoja far exceed the costs of implementing a robust educational policy.

They noted that in the decade leading up to 2010, Karamoja lost around 80 per cent of its cattle to insecurity, and by 2019, districts like Kaabong had nearly lost their entire livestock population.

Usuk County MP, Hon. Bosco Okiror argued that investing in education is a direct investment in national economic growth and a strategy to divert young people from criminal activities.

The legislators insisted that while government interventions such as UPE, USE, and the existing free compulsory boarding school programmes in some Karamoja schools are commendable, a comprehensive policy is needed to elevate the educational standards in the region and bolster the existing initiatives.