Members of Parliament from the Karamoja sub-region have urged the government to formulate and enforce a policy for free mandatory boarding school education for all students.
The motion, presented by Pian County Member of Parliament, Hon. Remigio Achia, underscored the longstanding challenges faced by the Karamoja sub-region, where 65 percent of the population lacks formal education.
Achia introduced the motion on the third day of the regional parliamentary sittings in Gulu City on Friday, 30 August 2024. He attributed the challenges to high school dropout rates driven by poverty, the absence of school feeding programs, long walking distances, cultural responsibilities such as livestock farming, and historical injustices against the region.
“The high dropout rates at the primary level have resulted in a gross secondary school enrollment rate of only 19 percent, leading to one of the lowest adult literacy rates in the country at 25 percent as of 2019/2020,” Achia stated.
Achia also voiced concern over the effects 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 mentioned 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 recurring insecurity in Karamoja, linking it to low education levels and widespread household poverty.
“Many children of school-going age (3-18 years) are drawn into livestock herding, which exposes them to the risks of conflict and eventually pulls them into cycles of violence,” she remarked.
The motion was supported by several legislators who emphasized that the human and economic costs of addressing insecurity in Karamoja far outweigh the costs of implementing a robust educational policy.
They pointed out that in the decade leading up to 2010, Karamoja lost approximately 80 percent 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 steer young people away from criminal activities.
The legislators maintained that while government interventions such as UPE, USE, and the existing free compulsory boarding school programs in some Karamoja schools are commendable, a comprehensive policy is necessary to raise the educational standards in the region and strengthen the existing initiatives.