MAK set to ascertain causes of secondary school dropout in Uganda

EDUCATION | RESEARCH 

Because of the importance attached to education and the most important secondary school, the Government embarked on several policies such as the introduction of USE, and infrastructural development to increase enrollment and accessibility of students in secondary schools.

However, despite these efforts, secondary school dropout rates have been increasing.

According to UNESCO, dropout rates for lower secondary in Uganda doubled from 18.2% in 2013 to 37.2% in 2016, compared with Rwanda which dropped from 34.4% to 16.4% over the same period.

According to the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB), pupils who passed the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) between 2002/2011 and joined secondary schools were 3.6 million.

But out of these 1.2 million (33%) with more males than females did not complete Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE).

The question is what are the major factors that drive students out of secondary schools? Do these factors differ between the girl and boy, child, rural and urban areas?

A team of researchers from Makerere University led by Dr. John Bbale Mayanja, a senior lecturer at Makerere University School of Economics explored the causes of drop out in a sample of 29 districts.

The study is entitled ‘The Determinants of Secondary School Dropout in Uganda'.

Mayanja, with the involvement of various stakeholders and different communities, hopes to specify policy interventions that are community-specific to the problem. Mayanja's team includes John Bosco Nnyanzi, Dr. Margaret Banga, Peter Babyenda, Nelson Kakande, and Rose Kibuuka.

Mayanja said the goal of the study is to investigate the determinants and suggest solutions to secondary school dropouts with a view of proposing locally/district-based achievable policies that synergies national interventions.

It will scrutinize the socio, economic and institutional determinants of secondary school dropouts in Uganda.

It will examine whether the factors that lead to secondary school dropout differ among gender and residence status of students.

It will look into the salient factors of secondary school dropout among the different communities and regions in Uganda.

It will establish a minimum class level below which one is supposed to attain before dropping out.

The population of the study comprises of secondary school dropouts in the last 10 years, current secondary school students, their parents and guardians, local council leaders (LC1), teachers, headteachers, and the district education officers in the selected districts.

The study is one of the initiatives of the Makerere University's Research and Innovation Fund.

Carol Kamugira, the engagement officer at the fund said the study was considered a high impact study that can enable Uganda to reach middle-income status.

"Many countries experience drop out problems with some countries having high drop rates as compared to others," Kamugira said.

Mayanja said adequate human capital facilitates an increase in productivity and technological growth and economic growth.

Mayanja said there are many cases of LCs and leaders without the required qualifications.

MPs have said without adequate education, many chairpersons who have won elections cannot plan, budget, read the laws necessary to provide leadership of their administrative units.

Dr. Fred Matovu, senior lecturer, school of economics, Makerere University commenting on the study said some school environments can cause school dropouts.

Matovu said when learners come from different environments to join secondary schools, they experience different environments that can lead them to stay or drop out. Matovu said the demand-side factors can lead to dropping out.

Ananias Ssemusu, chairperson Private Schools Kawempe Division, Kampala said some districts where tobacco is grown, the students drop to go into tobacco growing to get money.

Ssemusu said some of the students start chewing tobacco like other people, which seems to damage their mental faculty.

Deborah, a teacher at Lubiri Secondary School said because of different support factors, you find in some urban schools that there are more girls than boys and in some rural schools there are more boys than girls.

Ambrose Twinomasiko, director Maria Goretti Secondary School said some dropouts have generated income to build businesses that employ graduates