Parents urged to support UPE
Oct 20, 2014
Civil society Organizations have asked the Government to encourage parents to contribute to Universal Primary Education (UPE).
By Abou Kisige
Civil society Organizations have asked the Government to encourage parents to contribute to Universal Primary Education (UPE).
“The Government should allow parents to contribute to the feeding of their children at school,” the Senior Program Officer of Hunger Free World Kiddu Gonzaga said.
He said if there is no careful development of these children by feeding them properly, then you can produce criminals because hungry people are angry people.
Gonzaga made the remarks while handing over musical instruments including drums and costumes to pupils of Yurie Yoshimi Primary School in Wakiso district.
He said Government is struggling to improve the quality of UPE by trying to reduce the teacher-student ratio but if the parents leave the burden of feeding children to the government, then it (government) will be overwhelmed.
Gonzaga warned parents to stop conniving with sub-county chiefs who forge birth certificates and force their children into marriage when still young.
He urged parents and teachers to come up with ideas on how to address the issue of school feeding to improve academic performance in UPE schools.
The Senior Woman Teacher, Rose Nakiyingi advised the ministry of education to reconsider the distribution of sanitary towels in schools to keep the girl child in school.
She noted that most girls often lack access to proper facilities such as sanitary pads, water and soap to support them move through the menstrual cycle with minimal disruption to their studies.
“We should do everything to support girls to stay in school. An educated girl is an empowered one,” Nakiyingi said.
She said the challenges girls face include menstruation and early pregnancy yet most boys and girls are unprepared for these changes.
Demographic figures indicate that about 66 percent of girls know nothing about menstruation until they start experiencing them, which makes for not only a negative, but also a traumatic experience.
Nakiyingi said the lack of knowledge and skills for menstrual management can be detrimental to school attendance, quality and enjoyment of learning for girls.
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