The organizers of the 4th edition of Ekigangu Kya Busoga have been shocked by the small number of girls sitting for the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) exams. This is at both at Senior Four (Uganda Certificate of Education) and Senior Six (Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education).
According to the information publicly available, Buyende District, Kidera S.S.S. has 5 girls sitting for UACE while Lunar International School has only 7 girls. This is 12 girls sitting for UACE exams in the entire district.
“Some of our parents feel that when a girl completes S4, its a job well done academically and they then resort to finding ways of benefitting from their daughters,” said Dr. Augustine Wandiba the Head Teacher of Baligeya Memorial Seed Secondary School in Nkondo in the same district. The academician adds that fishing is a very popular activity in the area. Because of this, girls are lured or forced into the trade and abandon school.
Owek. Dr. Joyce Abaliwano Mulebeke, the State Minister for Gender, Women and Children Affairs in Busoga Kingdom and also the Ekigangu kya Busoga team leader, argues that a lot has to be done to involve all the different stakeholders for girls to be in school.
“I was appalled by what I witnessed in both Buyende and Namayingo Districts. The two districts boast of the highest numbers of teenage mothers and a very high number of school drop outs in Busoga,” she said. “However, as organizers of the annual Ekigangu kya Busoga, we want to bring every concerned stakeholder on board by addressing the issue of mindset change. Education is a joint venture were all parties involved need to play their respective roles,” she adds. The State Minister has challenged leaders to come up with interventions to help Namayingo and Buyende girls to stay in school.
This year’s Ekigangu kya Busoga is scheduled to take place at Victoria High School from Saturday 7th December to Sunday 15th December 2019. The target participants are girls aged 9 to 25 years of age and boys aged 9 to 15 years of age.
To participate, one needs to register with UGX50,000 at Busoga Kingdom Offices, Batambuze Grocery & Bakery on Main Street in Jinja opposite KCB Bank, Bunya S.S. in Mayuge, and Victoria High School and Green Fields High School in Iganga. Other registration points are at Hindocha Primary School in Bugiri), Kiyunga S.S. and Nakabale High School in Luuka, Nkutu Memorial S.S. in Bugweri), Kibaale High School and Kisiki College in Namutumba, and KBS FM in Kamuli. Once can alternatively call 0770805271 and 0753524158 for more information.
