Education for all, but …Ruth Sealey — Stratford, Ontario
Schools, schools, and more schools. Every village, town, and city has signs indicating the name and motto of numerous primary and secondary schools. Each school’s motto is unique and reflects the importance of education and citizenship in Ugandan society: “Live to Serve,” “Study to Succeed,” “Develop Through Education,” to name a few. In 1997, the Ugandan government finally abolished annual fees for students attending public schools. However, families still have the burden of buying the required school uniforms, notebooks, and other supplies. Many cannot afford these costs and therefore cannot attend “free school.” These children remain uneducated in a society that strongly values education.
Statistics indicate that almost 40% of Uganda’s eight million citizens are of elementary and secondary school age. As a result, most classrooms are very crowded with fifty or more students. Now that public education is available, it’s not uncommon for a teenager to be enrolled in a primary class with younger students in an attempt to catch up. While in Uganda, I even saw a photograph in the local newspaper showing a grandfather attending primary school because he wanted to learn to read and write. Because of overcrowding, parents who can afford the costs choose to send their children to private schools with better conditions. Ugandans hope that an education will help them find a good paying job, but in reality, the unemployment rate is very high. During our trip, we met university graduates who worked as waiters. We also learned that most teachers in the public system receive the equivalent of $2.50 a day.
The school day in Uganda is long: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, with extra help classes on Saturday mornings. With backpacks, students in colourful uniforms walk many miles to school. There is no bussing here! I saw children still walking home at 6:30 pm. At each of our twelve distributions, the children and parents cheered and clapped loudest when we showed them the dozen notebooks, the math set including a ruler, pencil, sharpener, compass, and protractor, and the flip-flops which were part of the bedkit. Now they only needed the uniform. With the mattress, sheets and blanket, students will sleep better and be more alert to learn. By using their new mosquito nets, more students will stay healthy, free from malaria and be able to attend school regularly. Sleeping Children is all about the kids and improving their lives. It has been an honour and a privilege to be part of a team that helped realize this mission. |
