The Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) executive of Amwa Demonstration primary school in Oyam district has embarked on a door-to-door campaign aimed at tracing and reintegrating pupils who have dropped out of school.
The initiative follows a sharp decline in enrollment from 1,756 learners in the first term, comprising 927 boys and 835 girls, to about 1,450 in the current second term, according to school records.
Walter Awuku, the PTA chairperson, said the campaign was sparked by growing concern over the increasing number of children abandoning school, often due to parental neglect or economic pressures.
Awukiu said they’re going from home to home, speaking to parents about the value of education and the danger of absenteeism.
The school’s headteacher, Harriet Achola, attributed the high dropout rate to a recurring trend where parents pull children out during the second term to work in the gardens only to return them in term three to sit promotional exams.
She said parents are always turning the second term into a farming break which is affecting learning outcomes and discipline. Oyam district inspector of schools, Benson Ongom, pointed to deeper systemic challenges, including poverty, domestic violence, and a general lack of parental engagement.
Ongom said education is a shared responsibility and while government provides schools, parents must play their role in ensuring children attend and stay in school.