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By Timothy Eodu-Nakapiripirit
As the 10th Karamoja Cultural Event-KCE Nakapiripirit chapter comes to the end, there are growing concerns among several stakeholders that government is not fast tracking most of the resolutions being passed by the Karamoja Cultural Association-KCA. These, they say undermines the efforts being put in place to pacify Karamoja and bring about socio-economic transformation.
During a high level dialogue held at Nakapiripirit district chamber hall to reflect on the gains and misses of the resolutions passed during the 9th KCE in Karenga, stakeholders was concerned that the resolutions not being implemented leaves them with nothing much to report back to their people apart from the continuous lamentations and pronunciations of their expected outcomes that never come to pass.
According to Paul Lokol, the Nabilatuk LCIV Chairperson, the KCA has come up with several resolutions capable of transforming Karamoja, but their implementation remains slow or not at all. He said as much as government is responding to certain areas like education by constructing seed schools, the issue of compulsory boarding education has not been given priority.
Lokol stated that most of the issues being faced in Karamoja are due to the low literacy levels, something he stated that could be reversed if children are kept in school to ensure retention and completion. Paul Abul, the secretary Karamoja Elders Council said they did a pilot in Moroto district some years back to keep some children in boarding, and it proved successful, suggesting that it is the only way government can support the Karimojong children to study and complete at all levels.
He said as much as government is trying to phase out boarding school initiatives, Karamoja needs to be given that affirmative action so that children are kept out of kraals and streets. Hellen Pulkol, the Chairperson Karamoja Women Peace Forum said that education is a key to transforming some of the negative cultural norms that exist and still being practiced in some parts of Karamoja like female genital mutilation in Amudat district. She said enforcing compulsory boarding education would be more advantageous to the girl child because school will be their safe haven.
Responding to the concerns raised on education in Karamoja, Hon. Peace Mutuzo Minister of State for Gender and Culture assured the people of Karamoja that government was committed to improving education standards in the region, reason why it has more seed schools being constructed compared to the rest of the country. Mutuzo also informed the Karamoja Cultural Association and other concerned stakeholders that they should channel their concerns to the Ministry of Education to be given priority, stating that the Minister takes Karamoja issues so seriously due to her past engagement in the region.
While appearing on the floor of Parliament late last year, Achia Remigio (Pian County) urged Government to formulate a policy on free compulsory boarding school education for the Karamoja Sub-region to boost the literacy levels, where 66% of the population has no form of education. He made the appeal while presenting a motion during the Northern Regional Plenary Sitting where he cited lack of school feeding policy, long distances the students have to walk to access schools, and high poverty rates that have left the parents incapable of providing scholastic materials for their children.
With a population of 1.4 million people as per 2024 census, the region has traditionally experienced low literacy levels, with girls being the most affected. Majority of the population lack formal education, high school dropout rates attributed to poverty and harmful cultural practices like early marriages, livestock herding by young boys, and long distances to schools among others.
