The EGG
The EGG
by Kakooza Robert
If one traveled to the small country of Uganda, it might be hard to imagine that education in the minds of the native Ugandans is very important. Over the recent years, the people of Uganda have learnt to appreciate the importance of literacy and education and this is reflected in the number of children going to school.
Education in Uganda is regarded as a weapon, which is used to fight against the changing world. It is a vital resource for development and a source of status among fellow countrymen and women.
Moreover, the Ugandan government has initiated a massive campaign to eradicate illiteracy and educate its citizens in both the urban and rural areas of the country. This campaign is reflected in the on-going Universal Primary Education Project initiated by the country's president Yoweri Museveni as a political campaign and its goal is to provide education to four children in each family in the State owned schools.
However, although the education in Uganda in on the verge of development, the system is still faced with problems, which the Government has now set out to combat through seeking donors and encouraging self-help projects to set up these facilities.
Although Education is a vital resource among the citizens of our country, you find that students complin because of long academic terms, which even after completingt lack the technical skills required to obtain certain jobs so people have less trust in what is taught in the schools. Lack of facilities such as classrooms and stationary is a problem. In addition, institutions and schools are congested with an average of 85 students in one classroom. Teachers in Ugandan schools earn a low salary. On top of that, most teachers are school dropouts or students who have failed to make it to higer institutions of learning due to a lack of funds, interest, or other reasons. This has greatly dimished their incentive to teach.
To achieve a decent education in Uganda, one has got to have the ability to pay for it. Most institutions in Uganda charge high tuition fees and those who can not meet these conditions are not favored.
In addition to this, many parents prefer institutions where they know their children will perform well and this has greatly diminished the reputation of upcoming schools and institutions. This is a major problem because it prevents some children from receiving a proper education as they cannot afford to go to the sound institutions.
Uganda's population has a high count of school dropouts. It is know that only 12% of primary school pupils reach secondary school. Under the universal primary education law, the Ugandan government only provides a small amount of money. The parents pay the remainder and also meet the cost of school uniforms, meals and books.
However, education, if I may say, should not be looked upon as an obligation such that one feels an outcast if he has no education. It should be regarded as a stepping-stone towards proper planning and management of one's future. If one had a way of building a decent future without going to school, why should he be regarded as a no status person which is the case with most people in Uganda and Africa as a whole. It is time we start planning and supporting ourselves, even without education.