The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Authorities in the Karamoja sub-region are concerned about the increasing number of school-going children abandoning education to roam the streets and engage in hazardous labor in search of food and income for their families.
Despite ongoing campaigns to promote education, high poverty levels and persistent hunger in Karamoja have driven children—particularly girls—into towns like Moroto and Kotido to engage in petty trade and domestic work, while boys end up in mining sites and cattle herding in remote areas.
Dina Lorika Adupa, former Assistant Resident District Commissioner for Moroto, says children are now prioritizing survival over education.
Adupa blamed widespread poverty for rendering parents helpless, forcing them to shift the responsibility of feeding the family to their children. “Children are now more focused on what to eat rather than staying in school,” Adupa said.
“Even when some parents support education, many children have developed a poor mindset and prefer street life or casual labor to school.” She called for a collective effort among stakeholders to enforce compulsory education and urged law enforcement to remove children from the streets to give parents room to heed education messages.
In Amudat District, the situation is no different. District Education Officer Emmanuel Linga revealed that his district has one of the highest school dropout rates in the region, driven by child labor, early pregnancies, and livestock rearing.
“Girls often conceive before they finish Primary Seven and are quickly married off. Boys are taken to herd animals as early as age 12,” Linga said. In Kotido District, Education Officer Angelo Mark Lowari echoed the concern, saying parental attitudes are a major obstacle. “It’s hard to convince children to attend school when their parents see no value in education. Cows are considered more valuable than a child’s future,” Lowari explained.
He said many girls are sent to burn charcoal or collect firewood for sale, while boys tend to livestock. Even though schools attempt to attract children with food, dropout rates remain high between Primary 4 and Primary 7 as parents begin to expect children to contribute to household income.
Daniel Engwau, Head Teacher of Moroto Municipal Council Primary School, highlighted that while the government covers tuition under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme, schools still rely on parents to provide scholastic support.
“We don’t even have a computer or printer for exam papers. Parents are supposed to contribute to printing, firewood, and salt—but even if you ask them for 1,000 shillings, they can’t afford it,” Engwau lamented. Julius Odeke, a businessman in Labor Line, Moroto Municipality, said financial hardship and a poor perception of education have led to a sharp decline in school attendance.
“Children are now the breadwinners. Girls carry heavy baskets hawking food all day for just 2,000 shillings or fetch water for 200 shillings per jerrycan,” Odeke explained. “They face exploitation daily just to put something on the table for their families.”
As the situation persists, education stakeholders in Karamoja are calling for a more aggressive, multi-sectoral approach that includes social protection, enforcement, and mindset change before the entire generation slips through the cracks.
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