By Ntegeka Venance
Several education stakeholders in Buhanika Sub County in Hoima district including teachers, heads of schools, security and parents have embarked on a campaign of returning and keeping children in schools to tame dropouts and criminality in the area.
On Thursday, the Sub County leaders together with District officials organized an education conference at Kitoonya primary school in Butema parish under the theme “Take Children at School and Maintain Them There” to forge a way forward of eliminating school dropout rates in the area.
According to the Sub County LC3 chairperson Jamil Kasangaki, all parents in the area must fulfil their core mandate of offering education to their children through provision of packed food, buying them uniforms and clothes as well as offering them security, especially the infants.
Kasangaki says the government has continued to do its part of improving infrastructure like construction of classroom blocks in government primary schools as a way of supporting education in the country. He has warned against cases of defilement of school going children which can lead to long term imprisonment for offenders.
Hillary Tumusiime, the secretary for social services at Hoima district has also tasked parents to embrace educating their children through providing all the necessities as the district authorities deal with solving the staffing gaps in some schools.
The Buhanika Sub County Chief Monica Kabagenyi and Buhanika sub county education focal person Abubakah Bacho has also advised parents to play their part as far as supporting their children’s education is concerned through involving themselves in preparing their children early to go to school among other core roles in order to prepare their future.
Hanington Tweheyo, the Officer in Charge (OC) Butema police station tasked school heads to ensure safety of school properties citing a recent case of the theft of lightning arrestors at Kitoonya primary school. He has also urged parents to personally escort their children up to school, to avoid incidences like absenteeism.
