Kabarole parents warned against marrying off underage girls
A survey carried out by SOS in the 11 sub-counties indicates that Kasenda leads in child marriage, followed by Hakibaale, with poverty cited as the leading cause.
By Evalist Mpamizo
Kabarole: Parents in Karangura Sub-county, Kabarole District, have been warned against marrying off underage girls. The vice, according to authorities, jeopardizes their bright future.
The warning was sounded by Kahuzo Elkanah, the area LCIII Chairperson, during a community dialogue about teenage pregnancy and early marriage, organized by SOS Children’s Village Fort Portal at the sub county headquarters recently.
The dialogue was aimed at increasing awareness about child marriages. Kahuzo said child marriage is associated with lower levels of schooling for girls in the area and is also a barrier to international development goals.
Ronald Kamugasa, the Karangura Community Development Officer (CDO), noted that educating a girl child creates many positive outcomes for economic development and poverty reduction by improving girls’ income-earning potential and socioeconomic status.
He said that some parents perceive marriage as a social security to protect the girls and never think of the consequences afterwards.
Monica Malunga from the SOS Children’s Village Fort portal called upon parents to desist from the practice and also urged community members to report such cases to police for intervention.
Steven Wadell Ainganiza, the Kabarole District Information Officer, said the district, in partnership with SOS, has finalized plans to come up with an ordinance that will help curb the vice.
A survey carried out by SOS in the 11 sub-counties indicates that Kasenda leads in child marriage, followed by Hakibaale, with poverty cited as the leading cause.
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By Namanya Ivan
North division authorities have ordered the arrest of Miss Ntimba Harriet, the Bukuku primary school head teacher for denying pupils to sit end of year examination and confining them in one classroom as a punishment.
This comes after a whistle blower who is a parent at the same school complained to north division mayor that his child who had a fees Balance of two thousand shillings was denied exams, her and other colleges with balances made to kneel down in front of those who were doing exams as a punishment for not paying fees before they were detained in a room.
This promoted north division RCC Mr. Ntange Andrew and the division mayor Joseph Mashuhuko to rush to school where teachers at the school confessed that the head teacher, who wasn’t in school ordered them not to allow anyone with fees Balance sit for end of year exams, adding that they were guided to make them be in the same room to avoid going out to be seen by people yet government stoped schools from sending pupils for fees.
Mr. Ntange, the division RCC condemned the act, saying that it’s not in the mandate of the head teacher to condemn those who haven’t paid fees, punishing a child who doesn’t know the agreement between the school and a parent to pay a contribution, something that frustrates the major purpose of UPE.
Ntange also wondered after learning that those who delay payments but pay after others have done papers, are given the same papers that were done one or two days back, asking how a trained teachers would use such a paper to assess learners.
Mashuhuko Joseph, north division mayor wondered the impunity of the head teacher, saying close to the beginning of PLE, he was at school and agreed that no one should penalize pupils because of Balance because the agreement to pay is between school and parents but not pupils.
However the head teacher insists that pupils do continuous assessment, wondering why anyone would mind about them not doing end of year exam, raising questions whether the school follows ministry of education term calendar that directs assessment of learners at the end of every term.
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