Will Acomo’s dream become reality?
Mar 18, 2007
THE saying ‘black is beautiful’ springs to mind when you set eyes on Elizabeth Acomo. Her smile is dazzling, her eyes twinkle with joy. <br>
By Harriette Onyalla
THE saying ‘black is beautiful’ springs to mind when you set eyes on Elizabeth Acomo. Her smile is dazzling, her eyes twinkle with joy.
But a pensive look follows as she tilts her head in concentration. She listens as if her life depends on every word. For a 13-year-old girl, Acomo comes across as astute.
It was quite daring for Acomo, who sat for her 2005 Primary Leaving Examinations in St. Kizito Primary School Lira, to put her first choice of secondary school as Mount St. Mary’s Namagunga, but she did.
“I knew my father could not afford the school fees, but I put it anyway. That is the school I wanted to go to,†she says.
Acomo is a household name in Kaberamaido district because she scored Aggregate Four in the Primary Leaving Examinations and joined one of the best girls’ schools in the country.
This chubby girl dared to walk through the congregation at Alwa Church of Uganda in Kaberamaido district to request Bishop Michael Obaikol to bless her. Some people saw a composed and courageous girl, while those who believe girls Acomo’s age should be bearing children, thought education was getting to her head.
All this time, however, Acomo’s legs were wobbly. Her heart pumped so hard she wondered if it would not pop out of her chest.
But though Acomo is determined, things are worsening at home and her dream of becoming a neuro-surgeon is being bludgeoned by lack of school fees. Unless the Almighty intervenes, Acomo will not return to Namagunga this year.
“The school has been lenient; Acomo remained in school for a month before I paid part fees. Otherwise, they require that students clear fees in the first week of the term. But I do not think I will raise the fees this time, even with the extra time,†Charles
Eromu, Acomo’s father, says. Eromu and his wife were retrenched from Lira Post Office in 2003. The family had to relocate back to Ararak village in Alwa sub-county, Kaberamaido district. Acomo, who was in Primary Five, was left with her aunt Susan, a tailor in Teso bar suburb. Acomo went to Ararak for holidays.
In a district where the school drop out rate for girls is 49%, Acomo knew about teenage pregnancy from a young age. 204 girls joined Senior One, but only 127 sat for Senior Four, while only three girls sat for Senior Six in 2004.
Acomo’s parents always gathered them before every school term to discuss performance, behaviour, the dangers of ‘playing with boys’ and HIV/AIDS. During this meeting, they also got a chance to criticise each other or air complaints.
“I used to work hard, but I also prayed. I am too young to have a boyfriend, but I asked God to protect me from getting pregnant. Very many girls from our village were getting pregnant,†Acomo says.
The Eromus invested their retirement package in rearing poultry, goats and pigs as well as growing crops. Unsteady income, however, meant that the children had to be relocated to cheaper schools.
The first born, a boy, moved from Bugema SDA Secondary School to Kaberamaido Secondary School, while his sister moved from Bugema to Mary Magdalene Secondary School in Lira.
The third, fourth and last born moved to the village primary school. It was only Acomo, the fifth born, who remained in Lira with her aunt. But it was rough for Acomo because she had to be sent away for school fees most of the time.
Sometimes, though, the little girl stood her ground with the deputy-headmaster, explaining that her father would pay the fees as soon as he got the money.
Luckily enough, in Primary Seven, Acomo was spared being sent home. But she is not counting on luck to remain in Namagunga. Last year, her father was stretched out, trying to raise fees so his daughter could study in this prestigious school. The education of Acomo’s siblings suffered badly.
“I used to feel bad whenever the teacher would read out the names of fees defaulters. Every time they would send fees defaulters home, I was sure to be among them.
“The biggest problem was that teaching went on when we were at home. That made me feel worse. But I always copied all the notes I had missed,†she says.
Eromu says he had been optimistic about Acomo completing school in Namagunga, but his groundnut and potato harvests were badly affected by the drought in the past two years.
He has been depending on the sale of chicken and turkeys, which do not fetch much compared to the school fees demands.
“It was a miracle that Elizabeth went back to school this term. I had to get a loan from Centenary Bank, which catered for part of her fees. Paying the loan will be a big problem, but at least she is in school. I have also decided to open up a school fees account for her, where I deposit money every time I get a little,†he says.
Acomo says she will not pressure her parents if they fail to pay her fees.
“I know my father would do anything to have me return to Namagunga, but the way he struggles makes me feel bad, yet he might fail.
I will feel bad when that happens, but at least I will not drop out of school. “I will join Kaberamaido Secondary School. It is not near our home, but I can ride a bicycle everyday. It seems all of us will go to that school this year. God does not give equal chances to everybody,†she says calmly.
Her chubby cheeks glimmer in the sunlight. Her white uniform and meticulously polished ‘weary’ black shoes tell of a child who puts effort in being neat.
The glaring truth about her family’s lack, bears down on her young shoulders, but Acomo’s dream of becoming a neurosurgeon has only been trampled, not destroyed.
“It is going to be difficult because Kaberamaido Secondary School does not have good science textbooks. However, I will do my best under the circumstances. I am determined to be a neurosurgeon. It does not matter that my parents are poor,†Acomo says calmly.
Eh? Um! Let’s say God, good brains and gusto are on Acomo’s side.
But with such a rock-strewn path, how far will she go?
THE saying ‘black is beautiful’ springs to mind when you set eyes on Elizabeth Acomo. Her smile is dazzling, her eyes twinkle with joy.
But a pensive look follows as she tilts her head in concentration. She listens as if her life depends on every word. For a 13-year-old girl, Acomo comes across as astute.
It was quite daring for Acomo, who sat for her 2005 Primary Leaving Examinations in St. Kizito Primary School Lira, to put her first choice of secondary school as Mount St. Mary’s Namagunga, but she did.
“I knew my father could not afford the school fees, but I put it anyway. That is the school I wanted to go to,†she says.
Acomo is a household name in Kaberamaido district because she scored Aggregate Four in the Primary Leaving Examinations and joined one of the best girls’ schools in the country.
This chubby girl dared to walk through the congregation at Alwa Church of Uganda in Kaberamaido district to request Bishop Michael Obaikol to bless her. Some people saw a composed and courageous girl, while those who believe girls Acomo’s age should be bearing children, thought education was getting to her head.
All this time, however, Acomo’s legs were wobbly. Her heart pumped so hard she wondered if it would not pop out of her chest.
But though Acomo is determined, things are worsening at home and her dream of becoming a neuro-surgeon is being bludgeoned by lack of school fees. Unless the Almighty intervenes, Acomo will not return to Namagunga this year.
“The school has been lenient; Acomo remained in school for a month before I paid part fees. Otherwise, they require that students clear fees in the first week of the term. But I do not think I will raise the fees this time, even with the extra time,†Charles
Eromu, Acomo’s father, says. Eromu and his wife were retrenched from Lira Post Office in 2003. The family had to relocate back to Ararak village in Alwa sub-county, Kaberamaido district. Acomo, who was in Primary Five, was left with her aunt Susan, a tailor in Teso bar suburb. Acomo went to Ararak for holidays.
In a district where the school drop out rate for girls is 49%, Acomo knew about teenage pregnancy from a young age. 204 girls joined Senior One, but only 127 sat for Senior Four, while only three girls sat for Senior Six in 2004.
Acomo’s parents always gathered them before every school term to discuss performance, behaviour, the dangers of ‘playing with boys’ and HIV/AIDS. During this meeting, they also got a chance to criticise each other or air complaints.
“I used to work hard, but I also prayed. I am too young to have a boyfriend, but I asked God to protect me from getting pregnant. Very many girls from our village were getting pregnant,†Acomo says.
The Eromus invested their retirement package in rearing poultry, goats and pigs as well as growing crops. Unsteady income, however, meant that the children had to be relocated to cheaper schools.
The first born, a boy, moved from Bugema SDA Secondary School to Kaberamaido Secondary School, while his sister moved from Bugema to Mary Magdalene Secondary School in Lira.
The third, fourth and last born moved to the village primary school. It was only Acomo, the fifth born, who remained in Lira with her aunt. But it was rough for Acomo because she had to be sent away for school fees most of the time.
Sometimes, though, the little girl stood her ground with the deputy-headmaster, explaining that her father would pay the fees as soon as he got the money.
Luckily enough, in Primary Seven, Acomo was spared being sent home. But she is not counting on luck to remain in Namagunga. Last year, her father was stretched out, trying to raise fees so his daughter could study in this prestigious school. The education of Acomo’s siblings suffered badly.
“I used to feel bad whenever the teacher would read out the names of fees defaulters. Every time they would send fees defaulters home, I was sure to be among them.
“The biggest problem was that teaching went on when we were at home. That made me feel worse. But I always copied all the notes I had missed,†she says.
Eromu says he had been optimistic about Acomo completing school in Namagunga, but his groundnut and potato harvests were badly affected by the drought in the past two years.
He has been depending on the sale of chicken and turkeys, which do not fetch much compared to the school fees demands.
“It was a miracle that Elizabeth went back to school this term. I had to get a loan from Centenary Bank, which catered for part of her fees. Paying the loan will be a big problem, but at least she is in school. I have also decided to open up a school fees account for her, where I deposit money every time I get a little,†he says.
Acomo says she will not pressure her parents if they fail to pay her fees.
“I know my father would do anything to have me return to Namagunga, but the way he struggles makes me feel bad, yet he might fail.
I will feel bad when that happens, but at least I will not drop out of school. “I will join Kaberamaido Secondary School. It is not near our home, but I can ride a bicycle everyday. It seems all of us will go to that school this year. God does not give equal chances to everybody,†she says calmly.
Her chubby cheeks glimmer in the sunlight. Her white uniform and meticulously polished ‘weary’ black shoes tell of a child who puts effort in being neat.
The glaring truth about her family’s lack, bears down on her young shoulders, but Acomo’s dream of becoming a neurosurgeon has only been trampled, not destroyed.
“It is going to be difficult because Kaberamaido Secondary School does not have good science textbooks. However, I will do my best under the circumstances. I am determined to be a neurosurgeon. It does not matter that my parents are poor,†Acomo says calmly.
Eh? Um! Let’s say God, good brains and gusto are on Acomo’s side.
But with such a rock-strewn path, how far will she go?