Education sector is one of the key area that ToroDev focuses on as one way of advocating for improved services delivery in education sector, ToroDev uses various platforms like Radio talkshows, Online platforms like mml http://www.mmlonline.org., facebook, whatapp groups etc and physical platforms. With advocating and monitoring services in education sector ToroDev partners with forums located in different districts to monitor services in UPE schools and present the findings to respective leaders using both traditional and modern platforms.
On 18th /12/2017 ToroDev partnered with Kyegegwa Advocacy and empowerment Forum (KAEF) a forum based in Kihamba parish Kabweza sub county Kyegegwa District to organize an education conference and present.
The conference was organized after KAEF visited and monitored services in various schools in Kyegegwa district and discovered different challenges that were affecting education and needed duty bearer’s attention. Some of the key challenges identified included; poor performance in UPE schools, high dropout, late coming and absenteeism of teachers, lack of support from parents to their children & lack of lunch for pupils etc.
Outputs
- Fifty ( 50) citizens attended including members of School management committees, PTA, parents, head teachers, teachers of UPE schools, senior women
- Five (5) duty bearers and education department officials attended ( SEO, Inspector of school, Education officer, LCIII, women councilor, Sub county chief)
- Solutions to the challenges identified
- Action plan set.
“Thank you KEAF and ToroDev for organizing this and for supporting the government by education citizens and giving us platforms to address these challenges and find a better way to address them”. Said Mr.Mwesige Hussein senior education officer Kwegegwa district.
He further added for education to go to other level parents should work hand in hand with the education official, support and provide basic needs to their children and to keep them in school.
“We should work hand in hand with education sector and provide solutions to challenges which are hindering education department in our district like parents can provide lunch for their, children, visit their children in schools, talk to them and motivate them to love education”. Said Businge John chief Kabweeza Sub County.
He added that early marriages has contributed a lot to school drop outs with in our district and it has been as result of un seriousness from parents we call up on parents to play their roles to overcome such challenge which is affecting education sector in Kyegegwa district.
“Am grateful for the work done by KEAF and ToroDev for mobilizing people for this conference that highlights the bottlenecks which are affecting education sector in our district, I call up on parents to work hard and engage technocrats such that we can solve the problems which are challenging education sector”. Said Demy Mugisa district inspector of schools Kyegegwa district.
She further said that if possible such conferences should been done annually such that we can be able to truck challenges affecting the sector and come out with solutions in our district and this will create a room to built good education foundation of our pupils.
Way forward:
- School management committees and PTA members should be restrict on teachers who report late and depart early
- Conduct Mid-term assessment to pupils should be done to improve performance of pupils in schools.
- More reading materials should be provided to learners.
- Proper monitoring & supervision of schools by parents and inspector of schools
- Parents should do close supervision and carry out visitations to their children schools.
- Government should equip schools with basic teaching materials that will help to raise the standards of science subjects in government aided schools.
- Penalties should be compulsory to those parents who do not attend parents meeting
- Parents should encourage their children to join technical schools instead of sitting home after primary seven
- We need to have restriction on recommending students to other schools such that we can truck dropout rates.
Some of the participants who attended the conference.
As ToroDev we thank all our partners SIDA, NED, SPIDER, ICT4DEM, CIPESA for the technical & financial support and also the advocacy forums we work with for the advocacy & monitoring work done in communities.
