Government has been challenged to invest more in its Universal Primary Education (UPE) by providing food and other basic requirements if the program is to have a significant impact.
Former Makerere University Chancellor Prof. Mondo Kagonyera said that while government has made efforts to offer free education to Ugandans, majority of the children still go to school on empty stomachs which makes it difficult for them to concentrate on learning.
“A kid who is unhealthy and hungry cannot benefit from UPE. Government must make the required interventions by providing meals for these children,”
Prof. Kagonyera said on Thursday at Century Cinemax Acacia while attending a premiere of ‘Cornerstone’, a documentary film about Nyaka, a charity project offering free but quality education for children in Kanungu district.
The long serving politician added that failure to address issues of good nutrition in the early childhood development affects their wellbeing in later stages of life. Mondo challenged government to draw lessons from what Nyaka has done by providing among other things sanitary pads to girls as a way of reducing the school dropout rate which is currently high in UPE schools.
Jackson Twesigye Kaguri, the founder of Nyaka project underscored the critical role of education in the transformation of any country.
“I could not give much to my community but by giving free education to those vulnerable children, it changed a lot,” Twesigye said.
The State Minister of Primary Education Hon. Rosemary Seninde who was the chief guest at the screening of the film lauded Nyaka for the work done far in helping the less fortunate.
“Many children have dropped out of school due to hunger. Government has done its best but it isn’t enough. New policies which are aimed at ensuring children stay in school have been formulated,” the Minister said.