In Uganda, education is considered to be a key to success. Parents believe that schools impart knowledge and skills while promoting children’s well-being. They therefore encourage their children to go to school so that they have a bright future.
Granted this, one would imagine that Ugandan schools provide the required facilities for learning and skills acquisition. However, schools vary in quality according to where they are situated – in rural or urban areas, in rich or poor communities. These divisions, together with other challenges, have resulted in reduced school attendance.
This article explores scenarios that impact student’s health and well-being. It is based on the 2024 annual consumer voices report by the Global Consumer Centre (CONSENT).
Health of children
The science shows that people need at least eight hours sleep every night but Ugandan schoolchildren – especially in Kampala and other urban areas – often get less than this. Many have to get up as early as 3.00am to catch the school bus even though they have stayed up late the night before to complete their school assignments. Many sleep or doze in the bus, but the lack of sleep still compromises their health and well-being. Even pre-primary children have to endure this, and they are too young to handle the resulting psychological stress – which can lead to depression.
Moreover, school buses often get stuck in heavy traffic at the end of the day so that children arrive home after dark. They then have no time to socialize with their family – or even to help with household chores – since they have assignments to complete before they go to bed. The result is that they become detached from their families and fail to acquire household skills.
Food and Nutrition
Most Ugandan schools feed children entirely on Posho (maize meal) and beans all term – which lasts three months. They are thus deprived of adequate nutrition, a deficit which leads ultimately to a compromised immune system and other consequences of malnutrition. Moreover, some schools use chemicals like kerosene to preserve beans and other foodstuffs. This is criminal in the sense that it puts children and staff at risk of food poisoning.
Furthermore, some school kitchen staff have been seen to prepare and serve food while not wearing shirts, thus putting children at risk of eating food contaminated by sweat. Other staff had unclean hands, long nails, uncovered hair and dirty clothing, among other undesirable practices. And although the government officially recognises the importance of good nutrition as an aid to learning, most government schools fail to serve meals to students and staff during the school day.
Sanitation and Hygiene
Sanitation and hygiene are pressing issues in some schools, especially in rural areas where latrines for children and their teachers are often inadequate or lacking altogether. Stances have to be shared, and some children are forced to dispose of their waste in nearby bushes. This creates a risk of disease, especially in schools without a source of clean water.
Infrastructure challenges
While the government promotes science and technology in schools, most rural schools lack science and computer laboratories, libraries and even adequate classrooms. And those schools which do have the necessary buildings often lack equipment such as computers, laboratory reagents, and current reading materials. Indeed, many are without electricity.
Some children are forced to study in grass-thatched huts, under trees, in classrooms with leaking roofs, or even in the open. Some sit on the classroom floor due to lack of furniture. Similarly, some schools have no staff housing and, even when they do, it is often not fit for habitation. This not only demotivates teachers, it undermines their welfare and their status.
A holistic education should include co-curricular activities such as sport and handiwork – among other things. However, learners are now preoccupied with academic work, affecting their skills development. Moreover, schoolwork now encroaches on children’s time at the weekend and during holidays – which further reduces their opportunity to learn housekeeping skills.
Exorbitant school costs
The Ugandan government supports accessible education for all children, but current fees and other charges are unregulated and exorbitant, especially in private schools. Learners are required to bring to school items like brooms, brushes, cleaning fluid and paper – in addition to uniform. Most private schools also require payment of ‘development funds’ which parents provide in the form of cement, bricks, sand – or in cash. These charges have left many parents unable to pay for good quality education.
Conclusion
Given these consumer concerns, it is clear that there are discrepancies and inequalities in the Ugandan education sector. The main problem is the inadequate regulation of schools by the government. This allows the consumers of education services to be exploited.
The government should enforce the political, legal, and regulatory frameworks, and allocate sufficient financial, human, and infrastructural resources to safeguard the values and credibility of the education sector. This would ensure equity and equality in education services for all.
By Bwambale Bernard
The author is Head of Programs at Global Consumer Centre (CONSENT)