PROMOTING AN ALL-INCLUSIVE RURAL GIRLCHILD EDUCATION IN KASESE DISTRICT, WESTERN UGANDA.
Date Published: 7/09/2023
Background to my wish:
“Education of all inclusive-girl-children have been a focus of many national and international initiatives specifically because girls including those with disabilities constitute the largest group excluded from education in general, and from quality education and in a safe and encouraging environment in particular. Basing on the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) as the current overarching international development framework, Goal five (5) advocates for the elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary schools (and at all levels) by 2-15 (UNDP, 2010).
Other global echoing these commitments include the World Education Forum’s Dakar platform, which stresses the rights of all girls, ethnic minorities and children in difficult circumstances; and a world fit for children’s emphasis on ensuring girls’ equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality. United Nations such as UNICEF AND UNESCO have over the decades instituted different programs to pursue these Goals and aspirations, with varying degree and emphasis. The current catchphrase of Education for All (EFA) captures the spirit of this global agenda. Maru Action Development Foundation in partnership with Inspire Girls Foundation (IGF) a grassroots-Led feminist non-for-profit community-based organization that champions the rights of young girls and women towards achieving their full potential based in Kasese district and education office Kasese will all provide engine to fuel all inclusive-girl-children rural education to the most vulnerable and poor rural girls in Kasese district, western Uganda.
Status of Girl child education in Kasese district, Uganda:
Over the past decades Kasese district in western Uganda has made considerable progress in the advancement of gender equality and empowerment of rural women and young girls. This is evidenced among others, by the Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE), Affirmative action in higher education (RoU, 2007) Review and change in text books to eliminate gender stereotypes, Strengthening of Adult Functional literacy (FAL) with more women especially young and turned single mothers attending school with provisions for female specific facilities. Significant achievements have been made in the area of enrolment and the most recent step was the passing into law of the Gender in education Sector Policy (2016).
Beyond Government based initiatives, there have been interventions by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). For example, the Women Call Centre of Uganda was specifically established to focus on the question of women’s and girls’ education and to address gender disparities in education, manifested in low rates of access, retention and performance, starting from upper primary through to secondary school. Women Call centre Uganda has been involved in initiatives that have directly and indirectly enhanced the education of girls including the disabled. These initiatives have helped a number of girls inclusively to access education and remain in school.
The situation in Kasese district:
Although there are many Government and non-government programs that have led to significant achievements in girls’ education leading to an increase in the number of females accessing education in Uganda, a lot still remains un attended to especially in addressing gender inequality enshrined both in the school and outside the school environment, most especially in the remote, rural and poor settings oof Kasese district.
Some of the barriers to girls’ education specifically in the rural and poor communities of Kasese district include: severe poverty, long held harmful cultural and traditional attitudes, beliefs and practices such as early marriage, and poor management of sexual maturation, impact of HIV/AIDS at household level, teenage pregnancy, disempowerment of girls as well as disempowerment of boys. Other issues that persistently threaten gender responsiveness in the school environment include issues of armed conflict and displacement in Kasese regions with the most recent; May 2020 floods that killed lives and destroyed infrastructure including schools and Kilembe mines hospital leaving learners stranded, and also the Anti-Defense Forces rebel attack on Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School in June 2023 just a month ago where 34 lives of young scholars were lost and properties destroyed.
On the whole however, the school environment has a major role to play in producing and reproducing critical disadvantages of rural girls. The school system is the dominant source of gender bias and stereotyping. Education processes are instilled with persistent and inbuilt gender differences. Females and Males are subjected to deferential socialization in classrooms and are rewarded for different things. The rural Girls tend to be directed at learning and reinforcing femininity thereby learning to be submissive and passive instead of independent and thoughtful.
Problems and needs:
The rural areas of Kasese District are characterized by severe poverty, long held harmful cultural and traditional attitudes, beliefs and practices such as early marriage, and poor management of sexual maturation, impact of HIV/AIDS at household level, teenage pregnancy, disempowerment of girls as well as disempowerment of boys. Other issues that persistently threaten gender responsiveness in the school environment include issues of armed conflict and displacement cause by natural calamities and man-made.
The people in these rural and poor communities barely support themselves as far as their welfare is concerned. Many parents leave the task of up-bringing their children in the hands of teachers. The concern of most of the heads of households are to cling on harmful cultural and traditional attitudes, beliefs and practices that do not favor at all the girl child and so most especially disabled girls to have access to quality education and be empowered to have access and control in all societal aspects of social, economic, environmental and political development, consequently making a rural girl child to being submissive and passive instead of being independent and thoughtful.
The challenge of balancing educational needs of the child with the beliefs of the households make many families sacrifice the education of the girl child. Women and girls with disabilities have no access to quality education as they have no voice, thus this project which is creating a people-Led voice to the voiceless rural women and young girls showing their full potential through an all-inclusive quality and equitable education transforming and thriving their lives.
Statement of the problem:
Inclusive-Girl child education in Kasese district has not been given the attention that is being enshrined in the plan of the Government of Uganda. There are semblances of the practice are in the nursery, primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions that are operational in the district. Quite a number of these schools, colleges and institutions are not providing gender responsiveness environment to empower the rural girl child to be independent and thoughtful. This is quite evident in the remote rural schools. It is hard to find senior women teachers in these remote schools due to the fact that they are not willing to teach in such schools. The situation on the ground is very crucial that needs to be addressed urgently in close and effective collaborations with the district local government through its education department.
Human resource Capacity:
Maru Action Development Foundation has a total of five (5) executive members and intends to recruit 2 (two) staff in the administration, 2 (two) social workers, three (3) support staff, appoint technical advisor and legal advisor on annual contract basis. We have a patron who is the ceremonial head of the organization. The proposed board of trustees include: one representative from the Catholic Church, one from the Anglican Church, one from the Muslim Faith, a representative from the Kasese District Local Government, a representative from Organizations of People with Disabilities among others.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
The proposed project intends to build on the capacity of other organizations operating in the district to promote rural and all-inclusive girl child education through gender responsiveness activities such as; designing of appropriate mechanisms for addressing inequality between girls and boys, empowering girls to have access and control in all societal aspects of social, economic, environmental and political frameworks; creating gender awareness among the communities; promoting gender equality, equity and relations between boys and girls in schools /colleges, women and men in the communities among others as deemed driving a positive environment where women and young girls in school and outside show their full potential.
The activities shall be implemented in a period of one (1) year and holistically involve awareness creation among the community on all-inclusive girl child education and empowerment. Attempts will be at observing the rights of women and young girls in remote and poor community schools in the social, economic, environmental and political development of the district. Maru Action Development Foundation will be at the forefront in the implementation of this proposed project. Support and collaboration shall be sought from partners in the district local government, organizations of people with disabilities as well as other agencies that are involved in similar activities.
Goal:
The goal of the project is to promote an all-inclusive girl child education and empowerment in the rural schools and at community level in Kasese district.
Purpose:
The purpose of this project is to promote girl child education and empowerment in rural schools and the community level in Kasese District.
Project Objectives:
The implementation of the proposed project is based on the following objectives that shall be pursued: -
• Designing appropriate mechanisms in schools and the communities to address inequalities between girls and boys, women and men in Kasese district.
• Empowering the girl child including those disabled to equitably become independent and thoughtful.
• To create and promote gender awareness with integration of disability rights and advocacy among the communities in Kasese district.
• To promote gender equality, equity and relations between girls and boys in booth schools and communities in Kasese district.
I therefore, hereby wish to submit my wish as above and hope that at one time situation will come to peace for the young and vulnerable girls including those with disabilities in Kasese district.
“Education of all inclusive-girl-children have been a focus of many national and international initiatives specifically because girls including those with disabilities constitute the largest group excluded from education in general, and from quality education and in a safe and encouraging environment in particular. Basing on the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) as the current overarching international development framework, Goal five (5) advocates for the elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary schools (and at all levels) by 2-15 (UNDP, 2010).
Other global echoing these commitments include the World Education Forum’s Dakar platform, which stresses the rights of all girls, ethnic minorities and children in difficult circumstances; and a world fit for children’s emphasis on ensuring girls’ equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality. United Nations such as UNICEF AND UNESCO have over the decades instituted different programs to pursue these Goals and aspirations, with varying degree and emphasis. The current catchphrase of Education for All (EFA) captures the spirit of this global agenda. Maru Action Development Foundation in partnership with Inspire Girls Foundation (IGF) a grassroots-Led feminist non-for-profit community-based organization that champions the rights of young girls and women towards achieving their full potential based in Kasese district and education office Kasese will all provide engine to fuel all inclusive-girl-children rural education to the most vulnerable and poor rural girls in Kasese district, western Uganda.
Status of Girl child education in Kasese district, Uganda:
Over the past decades Kasese district in western Uganda has made considerable progress in the advancement of gender equality and empowerment of rural women and young girls. This is evidenced among others, by the Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE), Affirmative action in higher education (RoU, 2007) Review and change in text books to eliminate gender stereotypes, Strengthening of Adult Functional literacy (FAL) with more women especially young and turned single mothers attending school with provisions for female specific facilities. Significant achievements have been made in the area of enrolment and the most recent step was the passing into law of the Gender in education Sector Policy (2016).
Beyond Government based initiatives, there have been interventions by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). For example, the Women Call Centre of Uganda was specifically established to focus on the question of women’s and girls’ education and to address gender disparities in education, manifested in low rates of access, retention and performance, starting from upper primary through to secondary school. Women Call centre Uganda has been involved in initiatives that have directly and indirectly enhanced the education of girls including the disabled. These initiatives have helped a number of girls inclusively to access education and remain in school.
The situation in Kasese district:
Although there are many Government and non-government programs that have led to significant achievements in girls’ education leading to an increase in the number of females accessing education in Uganda, a lot still remains un attended to especially in addressing gender inequality enshrined both in the school and outside the school environment, most especially in the remote, rural and poor settings oof Kasese district.
Some of the barriers to girls’ education specifically in the rural and poor communities of Kasese district include: severe poverty, long held harmful cultural and traditional attitudes, beliefs and practices such as early marriage, and poor management of sexual maturation, impact of HIV/AIDS at household level, teenage pregnancy, disempowerment of girls as well as disempowerment of boys. Other issues that persistently threaten gender responsiveness in the school environment include issues of armed conflict and displacement in Kasese regions with the most recent; May 2020 floods that killed lives and destroyed infrastructure including schools and Kilembe mines hospital leaving learners stranded, and also the Anti-Defense Forces rebel attack on Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School in June 2023 just a month ago where 34 lives of young scholars were lost and properties destroyed.
On the whole however, the school environment has a major role to play in producing and reproducing critical disadvantages of rural girls. The school system is the dominant source of gender bias and stereotyping. Education processes are instilled with persistent and inbuilt gender differences. Females and Males are subjected to deferential socialization in classrooms and are rewarded for different things. The rural Girls tend to be directed at learning and reinforcing femininity thereby learning to be submissive and passive instead of independent and thoughtful.
Problems and needs:
The rural areas of Kasese District are characterized by severe poverty, long held harmful cultural and traditional attitudes, beliefs and practices such as early marriage, and poor management of sexual maturation, impact of HIV/AIDS at household level, teenage pregnancy, disempowerment of girls as well as disempowerment of boys. Other issues that persistently threaten gender responsiveness in the school environment include issues of armed conflict and displacement cause by natural calamities and man-made.
The people in these rural and poor communities barely support themselves as far as their welfare is concerned. Many parents leave the task of up-bringing their children in the hands of teachers. The concern of most of the heads of households are to cling on harmful cultural and traditional attitudes, beliefs and practices that do not favor at all the girl child and so most especially disabled girls to have access to quality education and be empowered to have access and control in all societal aspects of social, economic, environmental and political development, consequently making a rural girl child to being submissive and passive instead of being independent and thoughtful.
The challenge of balancing educational needs of the child with the beliefs of the households make many families sacrifice the education of the girl child. Women and girls with disabilities have no access to quality education as they have no voice, thus this project which is creating a people-Led voice to the voiceless rural women and young girls showing their full potential through an all-inclusive quality and equitable education transforming and thriving their lives.
Statement of the problem:
Inclusive-Girl child education in Kasese district has not been given the attention that is being enshrined in the plan of the Government of Uganda. There are semblances of the practice are in the nursery, primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions that are operational in the district. Quite a number of these schools, colleges and institutions are not providing gender responsiveness environment to empower the rural girl child to be independent and thoughtful. This is quite evident in the remote rural schools. It is hard to find senior women teachers in these remote schools due to the fact that they are not willing to teach in such schools. The situation on the ground is very crucial that needs to be addressed urgently in close and effective collaborations with the district local government through its education department.
Human resource Capacity:
Maru Action Development Foundation has a total of five (5) executive members and intends to recruit 2 (two) staff in the administration, 2 (two) social workers, three (3) support staff, appoint technical advisor and legal advisor on annual contract basis. We have a patron who is the ceremonial head of the organization. The proposed board of trustees include: one representative from the Catholic Church, one from the Anglican Church, one from the Muslim Faith, a representative from the Kasese District Local Government, a representative from Organizations of People with Disabilities among others.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
The proposed project intends to build on the capacity of other organizations operating in the district to promote rural and all-inclusive girl child education through gender responsiveness activities such as; designing of appropriate mechanisms for addressing inequality between girls and boys, empowering girls to have access and control in all societal aspects of social, economic, environmental and political frameworks; creating gender awareness among the communities; promoting gender equality, equity and relations between boys and girls in schools /colleges, women and men in the communities among others as deemed driving a positive environment where women and young girls in school and outside show their full potential.
The activities shall be implemented in a period of one (1) year and holistically involve awareness creation among the community on all-inclusive girl child education and empowerment. Attempts will be at observing the rights of women and young girls in remote and poor community schools in the social, economic, environmental and political development of the district. Maru Action Development Foundation will be at the forefront in the implementation of this proposed project. Support and collaboration shall be sought from partners in the district local government, organizations of people with disabilities as well as other agencies that are involved in similar activities.
Goal:
The goal of the project is to promote an all-inclusive girl child education and empowerment in the rural schools and at community level in Kasese district.
Purpose:
The purpose of this project is to promote girl child education and empowerment in rural schools and the community level in Kasese District.
Project Objectives:
The implementation of the proposed project is based on the following objectives that shall be pursued: -
• Designing appropriate mechanisms in schools and the communities to address inequalities between girls and boys, women and men in Kasese district.
• Empowering the girl child including those disabled to equitably become independent and thoughtful.
• To create and promote gender awareness with integration of disability rights and advocacy among the communities in Kasese district.
• To promote gender equality, equity and relations between girls and boys in booth schools and communities in Kasese district.
I therefore, hereby wish to submit my wish as above and hope that at one time situation will come to peace for the young and vulnerable girls including those with disabilities in Kasese district.
