Arthur Baguma
2 December 2008
Kampala — WITH a stick slung across his shoulders, he sits under a tree to escape the scorching sun.
Dressed in a threadbare shirt, he watches over goats grazing in a nearby bush. While his age-mates are in school, Deo Twijukye, 8, stays home to tend to goats. His threadbare shirt and khaki shorts were once his school uniform.
His plight is what many other children in the rural areas face. Education experts say changing the mindset of rural people about the value of education is a challenge. And this concern has been echoed by the latest Education for All Global Monitoring Report.
The report which was released last week says unlike their counterparts in rich families, children from rural poor families are not benefiting from Universal Primary Education (UPE). The report says while children from the wealthiest 20% of households have universal primary school attendance in most countries, those from the poorest 20% have a long way to go.
Education minister namirembe Bitamazire says the cause of this disparity is the view the rural illiterate people have about education. She explains that while well-to-do families appreciate education, many people in rural areas do not.
"I came from a poor background but my parents appreciated education because of their interaction with missionaries. I think the challenge of the disparities is sensitising the rural people about education. Even when everything is provided, a parent will prefer that their children stay home to do domestic chores," Bitamazire said.
Her concerns are echoed by Aggrey Kibenge, the education ministry spokesperson. Kibenge says this dilemma is one of the reasons why Parliament passed a law making basic education compulsory. The rich or middle class and the opportunities they are exposed to puts them in a position to appreciate education more than the poor.
"Those that need more Government assistance may not necessarily attach equal value to that assistance. The poorest that are not taking advantage of the educational opportunities available to them," Kibenge added.
The report states that although remarkable gains have been registered in many of the world's poorest countries towards UPE and gender parity, progress has been too slow in many countries. Uganda's UPE current enrolment is 84% from 90% in 2003. Although Uganda's enrolment is ranked among the best, the completion rate is still low.
"There is a danger that some key goals will not be achieved. Averting that danger is vital, not just because education is a basic right, but also because it is crucial for improving child and maternal health, individual incomes and economic growth," the report states.
Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba, a poverty consultant, says the major cause of the education disparities is lack of interest, early marriages, teenage pregnancies and gender discrimination because in some families girls are kept at home to do housework. He says the dropout rate for girls is higher than that of boys. Of the girls who enrolled for P.1 in 1997, only 22% completed their primary education.
"Our completion rate is poor. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target by 2015 is completion of primary education. Our enrolment is good but completion rate is still low," Nuwagaba said. However, Nuwagaba says the drop-out rate among girls is still high compared to boys. The completion rate at primary level for both boys and girls is 43% and the drop out rate is 57%.
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