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Grace Nabacwa, from ministry of education, leading training on club formation in schools during teacher and stake holder training in Isingiro district
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By Jovita Hasto
The Ministry of Education and Sports, through the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project, has tasked parents and caretakers with the responsibility of keeping children in school regardless of the challenges faced along the education journey. The Ministry advised that children—especially girls who become pregnant—still have the chance to return to school after giving birth and continue with their studies. Following the high school dropout rate among learners, the Ministry supports both children and parents by providing resources in schools to help them care for their babies while continuing their education. Funded by the World Bank, the project is being implemented by Luigi Giussani Foundation and Science Teaching and Innovations Africa (STIA) organisations.
Trainees listening attentively
Ms. Christine Bwailisa, gender specialist at Luigi Giussani Foundation, said the project aims to ensure a safe and favorable environment for learners in schools. She explained that the training targets different stakeholders—teachers and school board members from various institutions—to act as whistleblowers in the community and advocate for children to remain in school without the challenges of violence hindering them.
“We want to ensure the community is sensitized that when a girl gets pregnant, her future does not end there. The government has already made efforts to support child mothers in schools,” she said.
Christine Bwailisa, gender specialist at Luigi Giussani Foundation
Mr. Mathias Tushabomwe, the chairman of the board of governors at Bukanga Secondary School in Isingiro, emphasized the need to sensitize the community about the challenges affecting children's well-being that force them to drop out of school. He urged communities to support positive decisions that keep children in school.
“Most parents believe that when a girl gets pregnant while still in school, her future ends, or if a boy is sexually harassed at school, he should drop out. This is a bad practice. In such cases, we should give them a second chance,” he said.
Mr. Tushabomwe added that challenges affect not only girls but also boys, who may drop out of school to engage in business, yet they too deserve a bright future.
“We want to encourage all children to be protected from situations that drive them out of school. The community should be informed, rather than letting children resort to stone quarrying and other activities that hinder their future,” he added.
Mathias Tushabomwe, (centre) the chairman of the board of governors at Bukanga secondary school
Ms. Ritah Ahebwe, a teacher at Nakivale Secondary School, stressed that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure girls are safe. She said girls should not be stigmatized but instead supported to resume their studies.
“Let us encourage these girls because the government allows a leave of absence for those who get pregnant while in school—to give birth and, after six months, return to school,” she said.
She added that it is everyone’s right to stay in school.
Christine Tusiime, 16, a student at Nakivale Secondary School, was impregnated when she was in Senior Two. The situation forced her to leave school to take care of her pregnancy.
“I dropped out of school, and I wasn’t receiving any help from the man who impregnated me. But my parents supported me,” she said.
Tusiime, now a Senior Three student, narrated that she loved studying. After delivering her baby, she decided to return to school with support from a non-governmental organization that helped pay her school fees and provided other assistance. “Now I am in Senior Three, and I want to become a teacher in the future,” she said.
Christine Tusiime, a senior three student, is back in school after giving birth. She hopes to become a teacher in future
Due to the high student population at the school, learners study in shifts, which has allowed her to make time for her child during breaks. “I carry my child to school, and I take care of her during break and lunchtime,” she added.
Thanks to funding and support from stakeholders, the school has a designated room where student mothers can check on their babies during lesson breaks.
"We have a designated child care room for us to take care of our children during free time and this keep our children safe and we attend classes without any worry," she said.
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