Who is preparing the boy child?

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OPINION

By Joseph Kampumure

To date, one message echoes across communities, schools, churches and the media: empower the girl child. This emphasis is justifi ed. For decades, girls faced systemic barriers that limited their access to education, leadership and opportunity. In response, governments, development partners and civil society have rightly invested in ensuring that girls are educated, protected and equipped to succeed.

In Uganda, we now see girls encouraged to stay in school, pursue careers in science and leadership, delay early marriages and assert their rights. Schools host mentorship sessions. Non-governmental organisations run empowerment programmes. Government policies increasingly prioritise girls’ education and safety. Recently, we celebrated Women’s Day, where the milestones in women empowerment are celebrated. The message is clear: the girl child matters. But in the midst of this necessary progress, a quieter, more uncomfortable question is emerging: Who is preparing the boy child?

While the girl child is being equipped to lead, innovate and compete, many boys are growing up without structured guidance on what it means to be responsible men in today’s changing society. The traditional systems that once mentored boys like the extended family networks, cultural rites of passage and community elders have weakened over time, and some are honestly obsolete. The boy child has been left to “figure it out” on his own.

This gap is reflected in rising challenges such as high school drop-outs among boys, substance abuse, crime and a growing identity crisis. Many high-risk spaces like prisons, street life, gambling and dangerous occupations like bodaboda riding are dominated by men. Yet these realities rarely receive the attention or urgency they deserve. When boys struggle or even perish in conflict or hardship, their stories often go unnoticed.

For the girl child, the messaging is intentional and structured: stay in school, you can be a leader, your voice matters, and you have rights and opportunities. For the boy child, the messaging is often assumed rather than delivered. One is prepared, the other is expected.

This imbalance creates a dangerous gap. While girls are being prepared for a future of opportunity, many boys are not being prepared for the responsibilities that come with that same future. The results of forgetting the boy child are conspicuous! The empowered girl child has arrived at the stage of success, but there is no matching boy child.

Currently, many adult girls are ready for marriage but cannot find a comparable man to get married to. We are witnessing several highly educated women getting married to lowly educated men who can’t hold an intellectual discussion. How, then, can such men be the head of their wives?

A boy who is not taught emotional intelligence may struggle in relationships. One who lacks mentorship on responsibility may disengage from work and family roles. A boy not taught respect and equality may resist the very empowerment of women that society seeks to advance. This is not about competing with the girl child, it is about complementing her progress. An empowered girl alongside a well-prepared and responsible boy creates balance and sustainable development.

If Uganda is to achieve meaningful progress, both boys and girls must be intentionally prepared for the future.

This means creating platforms where boys are taught emotional intelligence, mental health awareness, discipline, respect, diligence, self-control and purpose. Conversations with boys must be as deliberate as those with girls.

It is time to normalise mentorship for boys. Parents, teachers, religious leaders, researchers, policymakers and community influencers all have a role to play. Schools should establish deliberate mentorship programmes for boys.

Fathers and male role models must become more present and intentional. Media must shine a light on the realities facing boys. Policies must recognise that boys, too, require structured guidance, not assumption.

The debate about empowering the girl child is settled. The real question now is this: As we raise strong, confident and empowered girls, are we raising boys who can match them in responsibility, character and purpose? It is time we started preparing the boy child.

The writer is a senior lecturer at Uganda Management Institute kampumure@gmail.com