NGO fights to keep girls in school
Mar 03, 2009
THE implementation of Universal Primary Education by the Government in 1997 helped to boost the number of girls attending school from 46% to 47%.
By Gladys Kalibbala
THE implementation of Universal Primary Education by the Government in 1997 helped to boost the number of girls attending school from 46% to 47%.
Many girls who had been kept home were able to enroll into school. This followed the resolution on Education-For All made by the International Education Forum in 1990, of which Uganda is a member.
In 2000, the Government launched the National Strategy for Girls’ Education which was another effort to bridge the gender gap in the education sector.
Unfortunately, although such measures have enabled Uganda to make strides towards education for all, poverty, conflict and increasing economic inequalities are making it hard for girls to stay in school.
It is against this background that the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Uganda chapter, an organisation working to bridge the gender gap in education is fighting to ensure that girls remain in schools.
The organisation sponsors girls who are bright, but do not have fees. The parent is expected to meet other needs. Shamim Namambwe, a prefect at Nabisunsa Girls School was determined to join a good school after her Primary Leaving examinations (PLE).
Her father, Mawazi Kabanda, a fisherman, did not know much about choices so Shamim with the help of her teacher chose Nabisunsa Girls’ School.
But her father could not afford the fees. “He used to pay in installments,†Nanambwe says. She explains that although her father was interested in taking her to school, his big family could not allow him to meet his responsibilities.
But with FAWE’s intervention, Shamim has been able to concentrate on her studies since 2006. She has vowed to work hard and attain government sponsorship at university, as FAWE only supports girls up to S.6.
Carol Nabagereka’s, father was killed in 2001. The director of the school where she was studying paid for her primary education and she emerged the third best candidate in PLE. Since her mother was a housewife, FAWE came in handy.
Grace Nabasaaka, an S4 student of Gayaza High School praises FAWE, saying the sponsorship has eased the burden on her guardian Joyce Nayiga.
Prof. Mary Okwakol, the chairperson of FAWE, explains that many talented girls fail to get assistance to continue with their education.
“Our interventions provide the girls with knowledge and skills that help them in making decisions that will affect their lives,†she says. The organisation’s national coordinator, Martha Muhwezi, says the attainment of education for all is being hindered by gender disparity.
“There is a gender gap that widens as you go higher in the education levels and we need to fight it,†she says. On the poor performance of girls in mathematics and sciences, Muhwezi says: “We need to continue promoting gender-responsive strategies to ensure gender equality as a critical step to education-for-all.â€
THE implementation of Universal Primary Education by the Government in 1997 helped to boost the number of girls attending school from 46% to 47%.
Many girls who had been kept home were able to enroll into school. This followed the resolution on Education-For All made by the International Education Forum in 1990, of which Uganda is a member.
In 2000, the Government launched the National Strategy for Girls’ Education which was another effort to bridge the gender gap in the education sector.
Unfortunately, although such measures have enabled Uganda to make strides towards education for all, poverty, conflict and increasing economic inequalities are making it hard for girls to stay in school.
It is against this background that the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Uganda chapter, an organisation working to bridge the gender gap in education is fighting to ensure that girls remain in schools.
The organisation sponsors girls who are bright, but do not have fees. The parent is expected to meet other needs. Shamim Namambwe, a prefect at Nabisunsa Girls School was determined to join a good school after her Primary Leaving examinations (PLE).
Her father, Mawazi Kabanda, a fisherman, did not know much about choices so Shamim with the help of her teacher chose Nabisunsa Girls’ School.
But her father could not afford the fees. “He used to pay in installments,†Nanambwe says. She explains that although her father was interested in taking her to school, his big family could not allow him to meet his responsibilities.
But with FAWE’s intervention, Shamim has been able to concentrate on her studies since 2006. She has vowed to work hard and attain government sponsorship at university, as FAWE only supports girls up to S.6.
Carol Nabagereka’s, father was killed in 2001. The director of the school where she was studying paid for her primary education and she emerged the third best candidate in PLE. Since her mother was a housewife, FAWE came in handy.
Grace Nabasaaka, an S4 student of Gayaza High School praises FAWE, saying the sponsorship has eased the burden on her guardian Joyce Nayiga.
Prof. Mary Okwakol, the chairperson of FAWE, explains that many talented girls fail to get assistance to continue with their education.
“Our interventions provide the girls with knowledge and skills that help them in making decisions that will affect their lives,†she says. The organisation’s national coordinator, Martha Muhwezi, says the attainment of education for all is being hindered by gender disparity.
“There is a gender gap that widens as you go higher in the education levels and we need to fight it,†she says. On the poor performance of girls in mathematics and sciences, Muhwezi says: “We need to continue promoting gender-responsive strategies to ensure gender equality as a critical step to education-for-all.â€