Minister decries school dropouts

By Williams Moi THE minister of state for youth in-charge of children’s affairs, Alex Kamugisha, has decried the high number of school dropouts in Kumi district under the Universal Primary Education (UPE). Kamugisha said this while addressing guests on the Day of the African Child held at Boma ground, Kumi last week. He said apart from Uganda, no other country in Africa had the UPE programme. Kamugisha said no child should drop out of school because the government was planning for their next phase of education. He said child abuse and neglect was illegal and the Government would deal with the culprits. Kamugisha appealed to parents to protect their children and encourage them to go to school by providing them with the necessary school requirements. He said some parents allowed their daughters to give birth and run after men. Kamugisha warned commercial lorry drivers against giving lifts to children and abandoning them in cities like Kampala. He advised residents to forget their political differences and concentrate on economic development to fight poverty. Kamugisha told parents to utilise the UPE programme and send all their children to school.