Dry spell, parental neglect keep Soroti pupils at home

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A prolonged dry spell, declining household incomes and what education officials describe as inadequate parental commitment are keeping scores of learners away from school in Soroti city, raising concerns about attendance in the final term of the school year.

The situation was observed in several schools across the city during a learner headcount on September 21, 2026, with headteachers reporting gaps between the number of learners registered and those who had actually returned to class.

The absenteeism comes at a critical time when the government is conducting a nationwide learner headcount to establish the number of pupils physically attending school ahead of the allocation of capitation grants.

In Soroti City West, education officials said the attendance problem was being compounded by the difficult economic circumstances facing some families following the prolonged dry spell.

At Soroti Demonstration Primary School, attendance figures showed a significant gap between the number of registered learners and those who had reported. (Photo by Juliet Akello)

Francis Esabu, a schools inspector in Soroti City West, said monitoring visits had established that several learners had not yet returned to school.

According to Esabu, some parents cited the dry spell and its effect on crops and household incomes as reasons their children had not reported to school.

Schools record attendance gaps

At Soroti Demonstration Primary School, attendance figures showed a significant gap between the number of registered learners and those who had reported.

Headteacher Emmanuel Etieku said 1,130 of the school’s 1,204 registered learners had reported, leaving 74 absent.

Etieku said Primary Four and Five were among the classes most affected by the low attendance.

The figures indicate that although the majority of learners had returned, a section of the school population was still missing from classrooms at a time when teaching and learning had resumed.

At Pioneer Primary School, the situation was similar.

Headteacher Suzan Caroline Akello said 731 of the 812 registered learners had reported, leaving 81 absent.

Akello, however, said the problem was not entirely linked to the dry spell, pointing to parental responsibility as another concern.

She said some parents were not taking their children’s education seriously enough, a situation that could contribute to irregular attendance.

At Nakatunya Primary School, the attendance gap was even wider.

Headteacher Aida Alimo said 1,065 of the school’s 1,220 registered learners had reported, leaving 155 absent.

For schools, absenteeism can affect the learning process, particularly when learners miss lessons at the beginning of a term and struggle to catch up with the rest of the class.

It can also make it difficult for teachers and school administrators to accurately assess the number of learners requiring instructional materials and other resources.

The ongoing government headcount is therefore expected to provide updated information on actual learner attendance and help authorities plan for education resources.

Education officials have urged parents in Soroti city to ensure that their children return to school as the headcount continues.

They have also called on parents affected by the dry spell to prioritise their children’s education despite the economic challenges facing households.

The officials said the responsibility for keeping children in school should not rest on teachers and school administrators alone, but also requires active involvement from parents and communities.

As the government completes the learner headcount, schools in Soroti are facing the task of ensuring that the empty desks created by absenteeism do not become a persistent feature of the new term.

For families struggling with the effects of the dry spell, however, the challenge is likely to remain how to balance immediate household needs with the long-term importance of keeping their children in school.