‘Take children to school’
Nov 12, 2006
KARIMOJONG parents should send their children to school in big numbers if the region is to develop, UNICEF regional director for East and Southern Africa, Per Engebek, has said.
By Harriette Onyalla
KARIMOJONG parents should send their children to school in big numbers if the region is to develop, UNICEF regional director for East and Southern Africa, Per Engebek, has said.
Speaking during an official tour of UNICEF projects in Kotido and Moroto districts recently, Engebek said, “The single greatest challenge is to get children in school in big numbers. This is critically important. If you want to stoke into generational disparity, then you have to get the children into school. Make sure parents value education, and work with communities.†He said Uganda was not doing well in education in pastoralist communities unlike her neighbours in Kenya.
“All these efforts begin with young people. I didn’t hear any of them saying that they aspire to be warriors. They said they wanted to become doctors, teachers and ministers. So we owe this to the children, to ensure that they have a better opportunity to achieve in life,†he said.
Engebek advised that livelihood skills should be adopted into the school curriculum in Karamoja and other marginalised communities in the country.
He said programmes like the junior farmers scheme currently running in Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia would help young children to adopt farming other than relying on livestock. “This teaching methodology has been effective on children. You should encourage young people to seek alternative livelihood,†Engebek said.
Ends
KARIMOJONG parents should send their children to school in big numbers if the region is to develop, UNICEF regional director for East and Southern Africa, Per Engebek, has said.
Speaking during an official tour of UNICEF projects in Kotido and Moroto districts recently, Engebek said, “The single greatest challenge is to get children in school in big numbers. This is critically important. If you want to stoke into generational disparity, then you have to get the children into school. Make sure parents value education, and work with communities.†He said Uganda was not doing well in education in pastoralist communities unlike her neighbours in Kenya.
“All these efforts begin with young people. I didn’t hear any of them saying that they aspire to be warriors. They said they wanted to become doctors, teachers and ministers. So we owe this to the children, to ensure that they have a better opportunity to achieve in life,†he said.
Engebek advised that livelihood skills should be adopted into the school curriculum in Karamoja and other marginalised communities in the country.
He said programmes like the junior farmers scheme currently running in Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia would help young children to adopt farming other than relying on livestock. “This teaching methodology has been effective on children. You should encourage young people to seek alternative livelihood,†Engebek said.
Ends