{UAH} Karamoja girl quits school over distance

Karamoja girl quits school over distance

Written by ARTHUR MATSIKO

 Last Updated: 21 September 2015

 

At midday, thick beads of sweat drip from 11-year-old Lina Lokwangiro's brow, as she aids her mother organise straw for roofing their newly-constructed hut.

While other school-going children are back for holiday, Lokwangiro recently dropped out of school, during the first term of her P2, early this year. She could nolonger afford to trek the seven-kilometre journey every morning from home to school.

"I [used to] leave home at 7am and reach school at 10am. Sometimes teachers could beat me for late coming," she says. "Besides, I couldn't learn anything because as I am recovering from tiredness, the bell rings for us to go back home at 1pm. I could reach home at 4pm. When I felt I was wasting time, I decided to quit school."

Lina Lokwangiro wishes to become a nurse but has quit school, for now

She now decries the absence of a school in her village, Natopajo parish in Nabilatuk sub-county, Nakapiripirit district. It is the only one without a school or a health facility in the seven parishes that make up Nabilatuk sub-county, whose population is about 2,000 residents.

"If we can get a school in our village, I can go back and study. I also need books and pencils because my mother has no money to buy for me," says Lokwangiro.

Ironically, this fifth born is the most learned in her family of seven, since no one else has been inside a classroom environment.

"Of all my children, only Lina had braved the journey to Lokaala primary school," says Madelena Sagal, Lokwangiro's mother. "She had always talked about becoming a nurse but unless a savior comes for her, that dream might stop here."

Besides trekking 14 kilometres to and from school daily, she could go without scholastic materials because her parents couldn't afford books and pencils. Her 70-year-old father, Loese Loruk, says he has tried on several occasions to "beg" on behalf of her daughter in vain.

"I wish the government could help me take care of my daughter so that I can also have an educated child," he pleads.

Her plight came to light when we met Loruk during a community meeting on service delivery, facilitated by the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (Accu) at Nabilatuk sub-county on August 18.

Community leaders were concerned about the shortage of public facilities such as schools and hospitals in the area. Speaking to The Observer, Nabilatuk sub-county chief John Longolio acknowledged that Natopajo parish was deficient in education and health facilities.

"We have done a lot of communication to the district to set up a community school because we believe that it is almost a demand driven; the communities themselves should come up and say 'there is need for a primary school," Longolio said. "We have always engaged them that if we need a school, let us try to identify the site of the land."

He added that he was in the process of contacting district officials to seek support for Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs), which they hope will transform into a primary school.

Accu Executive Director Cissy Kagaba explained that the aim of their visit was to make the government to account for resources allocated to the Karamoja region.

"It is very unfortunate when you realise that particular areas with in this region do not have schools. The number of teachers is still one of the crosscutting issues," Kagaba said. "If there are quite a number of minerals in this area, what are those minerals doing to develop this region? How is the government using them to ensure that the issues of service delivery are being addressed in this area?"

Lina Lokwangiro (c) with her parents

She added that since Karamoja is rich in minerals, the government should prioritise the region so as to enhance the people's livelihood therein. Kagaba also condemns the government for creating more districts instead of emphasizing service provision.

"The government is saying it is bringing services closer to the people. However, if services have not adequately been brought to the people with the many existing districts, how can you then create much more?"

In the meantime, Lokwangiro's dream of becoming a nurse "to save lives" has stalled until Natopajo gets a school or someone from somewhere else adopts her.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

"But this I know, UPC believed and still believes in

very high education. We can call Obote all bad names we have, but the bottom line remains that he got more scholarships for Buganda than all previous Uganda leaders combined. That includes Sir Edward Mutesa, President Lule, President Binayisa, up to and into Ssabasajja Mutebi. Who all happen to be Baganda leaders." Mulindwa

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