Back to school
- Lauren Billington-Drew
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Growing up, the start of a new school year brought excitement. The anticipation for timetables and catching up with friends, the frantic trying on of uniform to check it still fits, the embarrassing level of excitement I had to try out my new pen. Growing up in a society where this annual pattern is the norm, it’s easy to forget that other children and families are missing out altogether.
In this blog I will be giving a brief overview of the current educational landscape in Uganda, and taking you along as I explore the importance of quality, regular schooling.
In Uganda, the average primary net enrolment is 77.9%, which drops significantly to just 23.2% at secondary school level. Whilst these national figures are already poor, only 55.3% of children living in slum communities attend school, leaving them uneducated and unable to secure formal jobs in later life.
This ongoing lack of opportunity has created generational poverty as we see it today. Children, parents and grandparents who have missed out on an education as a child have been unable to support their families as a result.
In 2019/20, the average monthly wage for workers with no education or less than year one primary was UGX 143,045 (£30). This increased to UGX 211,327 (£45) for completed primary education, UGX 350,112 (£75) for lower secondary, and UGX 492,492 (£105) for upper secondary. Earning potential significantly increases as children progress through their education, setting them up for a more secure and stable future.
When children are not in education, they are often involved in child labour in order to support their families financially. According to a 2022 study, around 28% of all Ugandan children are engaged in employment, which is shockingly higher than the net enrolment rate for secondary school. Of the children that work, 19% are employed in hazardous jobs, jeopardising their health and safety.
Picture for a moment you are a parent living in Kampala’s slums. You missed out on an education as your parents couldn’t afford the school fees, and as a result you never learned to read or write. You now have a family of your own, but because you missed school, the only job you can secure is informal, collecting plastic waste in your area for roughly £1 a day. It’s tricky to work full days as you have no child care, so you either leave your children at home alone or take them with you. With this income you struggle to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head, nevermind affording the school fees for your children. They too start working to support the family, and they grow up never knowing how to read or write like you.
This is the reality for many families living in Kampala, but we’re changing that!
Adam* is just 6 years old. His mother recently spoke to our team about how their life had changed since he was enrolled onto our Encouraging Education Project:
“Since I didn’t get a chance of going to school, I always had a dream of educating my own children. This dream felt unreachable when my husband abandoned me with my children. Adam was already 4 years old, ready for school, but he had to stay home because I had then become the father of the home on top of being the mother. I wasn’t making much from my vending job to take him to school. Fortunately, I learnt of this project and that is when the hope of educating my children returned. Adam started going to KCK. KCK volunteers took good care of him in that even on the weekends, Adam didn’t want to stay home. He wanted to go to the KCK centre. He was fed well and also given good education at no cost. I was filled with so much gratitude and made sure that even my other two kids passed through the same project. Adam loves school because he is now in primary 2 and I know that he will bring back hope in this family through him being educated.”
*Name has been changed
Our Encouraging Education Project has offered free, quality, daily education to over 1,600 children just like Adam. Offered to children aged 3-6, this project provides the early knowledge and skills that children need to excel, and takes the strain off parents so they may learn new skills (through taking part in our vocational skills training), or seek better paid work.
Our Programmes all work together holistically to give children and families the opportunities and tools they need to lift themselves from poverty. Once children graduate from our Encouraging Education Project, we hope that parents will have received the support they need so that they may then cover the cost of their children's school fees.
Where this isn’t possible, we aim to get children sponsored through our Child Sponsorship Project, which covers the cost of school fees, daily meals, uniform, stationary and medical fees, offering relief and support not just for the children but for their loved ones too.
This month we have been trying to get the children on our waiting list into primary school, and thanks to some very generous sponsors, there is now just one child left. By signing up to sponsor a child, you can offer them the same opportunities you likely had, and break the cycle for them and their family.
Could you be the reason a child can start school?
Find out more and sign up here.
Comments