Uganda has the highest school dropout rate in East Africa, according to a report released by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This has been blamed on the failure of parents to provide scholastic materials and other school requirements for their children. Go 2 School Initiative Uganda (G2SU), a team of vibrant and energetic people, intends to address some of these challenges, to enable children be able to have a decent future. This will be achieved by improving the lives of Ugandan children through social support in selected regions for given periods of time.
The target population of G2SU are poor people in rural areas who cannot afford scholastic materials, sanitary equipment, have no access to clean and safe water, among other needs.
The funds to finance the activities will be obtained through existing donors, attracting new private and corporate donors and well-wishers.
G2SU is governed by a board of directors, assisted by an executive director and managing director. These work with other staff; programs director, finance and administration director, communications director and volunteers’ director.
Go 2 school initiative Uganda is a non-government non-profit organization, founded in 2018. Supported by a vibrant, energetic and kind hearted team of 12 people, who have a genuine desire to help and serve humanity. In so doing, we hope to spread the love of Christ through providing basic necessities the communities we live in around Uganda.
Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world growing at average of 3.3%. This growing population means that there is high demand for education services. Despite the introduction of universal primary and secondary education, the number of school dropouts is still high. This poses a threat towards achieving SDG 4: Quality Education: Ensure Inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong opportunities for all.
A report by Uganda National Examinations Board shows that 43% of the pupils who enrolled in primary one have dropped out of school before reaching primary seven. For every 100 pupils who started school, 43 dropped out before completing primary seven.
For the period 2009-2015, 38% of the pupils who started school dropped out before reaching primary seven. The school dropout rates are significantly higher when one analyses the number of pupils who never sit the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education. Of the 1,837,227 pupils who joined primary one in 2004, only 102,858 sat for UACE in 2016. This represents a 94.4% dropout rate! The dropout rates are much higher for females compared to males, with Uganda having the highest school dropout rates for females in East Africa.
The statistics above present a grim picture of the state of the education sector in Uganda. The high school dropout rates have been attributed to the hidden costs like costs of scholastic materials like exercise books, pens, uniforms, sanitary pads, lack of school meals, insufficient sanitary facilities among others. Given the high poverty levels especially in the rural areas of northern and eastern Uganda, meeting the necessary school requirements is a tall order for many a parent who live on less than a dollar a day. As a result, many of their children end up dropping out of school and end up being trapped in a vicious of poverty.
Go 2 School Uganda intends to address some of the above challenges by providing scholastic materials, sanitary pads, extending safe water to communities and constructing proper sanitary facilities.
