Violence still prevalent in learning institutions — report
Presenting the findings, Kabunga noted that the baseline study was conducted across the country in secondary schools, TVET institutions, and also had focus group discussions with the key players across the sector.
The one day dissemination workshop held at Acacia Hotel in Mbarara City on Thursday was attended by among others head teachers, district education officers, community development officers and Chief Administrative Officers. (Credit: Abdulkarim Ssengendo)
Education stakeholders in the districts of southwestern Uganda have been urged to foster and promote interventions aimed at ending violence against children in and out of communities.
The call was made by Ronald Kabunga, a social safeguard officer in the education ministry under the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project on March 5, 2026.
This followed survey findings indicating that violence is still prevalent and high in institutions and communities, a vice that calls for strategic interventions to eliminate it.
Kabunga was addressing education stakeholders from the region who attended a one-day dissemination workshop on the findings of the National Violence Against Children Baseline Survey Report for the Safety and Protection of Children.
Organised by Science Teaching and Innovation Africa and Luigi Giussani Foundation in partnership with the education ministry, the engagement was held at Acacia Hotel in Mbarara city and attended by, among others, headteachers, district education officers, community development officers and chief administrative officers.
Violence still prevalent
Presenting the findings, Kabunga noted that the baseline study was conducted across the country in secondary schools, TVET institutions, and also had focus group discussions with the key players across the sector.
He was concerned that violence is still prevalent and high in institutions and communities, a vice that calls for strategic interventions to eliminate it.
Awareness of the different forms of violence was high among the school administrators and students in both the secondary schools and TVET institutions.
He reported that students in both the secondary schools and TVET institutions largely experienced physical violence, economic, sexual and emotional violence.
For secondary school students, the majority (77%) mentioned violence to be commonly experienced in their schools. This was followed by economic violence (50%), sexual violence (48%), and emotional/psychological violence (45%).
The TVET students shared a similar view on the forms of violence experienced in their institutions; the most common being physical.
Comparatively, the female students experienced more forms of violence compared to the male TVET students.
From a gender perspective, Kabunga reported that boys in the secondary schools and TVET institutions experienced more physical violence, while the girls in both institutions were more affected by sexual violence.
Economic violence was experienced by both the girls and boys in secondary schools on almost an equal basis, while the girls in TVET institutions experienced a greater share of peer-to-peer violence.
Regarding major causes of violence against students in both the secondary and TVET institutions, Kabunga reported they were largely economic hardships, social interaction and parenting dynamics.
Regarding perpetrators of violence against violence; findings indicated peers, followed by the teaching staff in secondary schools and community members.
The survey revealed that violence against children in schools is most prevalent during active school periods, especially during the week and learning hours. However, both secondary and TVET students confirm that violence occurs not only during structured school time but also during holidays and weekends.
Senior Mbarara city education officer Ezra Atuhairwe thanked the ministry for the interventions to end all forms of violence against children in schools.
Atuhairwe attributed violence against children to reduced enrolment in schools.
Domnic Mukiza-Ibanda, the district local government senior probation and welfare officer, admitted to having received cases of child abuse reported mostly in areas like Igorora where there is a lot of night businesses.
Bagume Wilson, the Kisyoro SS headteacher, called for the need to spearhead schools to be more child-friendly, as this will help to reduce some of the threatening cases. Others called for protection of teachers in schools.
Godwin Agaba, one of the Community Development Officers who attended the engagement, called for the need to invest in empowering community development officers to train parents on good parenting techniques.
These also call for the need to embrace community dialogues and meetings for children during holidays to share the problems they face at school.