Africa-Press – Uganda. Boys in public schools in Mukono District have cried out to both parents and the government for support and guidance to help them excel in future.
They made the call during a training session on uplifting the boy child organised by the Rotary Club of Kampala West and the Rotary Club of Mukono Central at Namakwa primary and secondary schools in Nakisunga Sub-county on Wednesday.
Mr James Kibirango, the head prefect of Namakwa SSS, said most of their fellow boys have dropped out of school due to a lack of guidance from parents and the community.
“Parents do not sit with us for any advice as they do for girls, they only mind the girl-child and abandon us. This has resulted in robbery, drug addiction and the spread of STDs,” he said.
Catherine Namuma of the Rotary Club of Mukono Central said government policies and programmes have had a positive impact on the lives of girls compared to boys.
“We have so many organisations that only concentrate on girls and leave out boys,’’ she said.
Namuma further revealed that there is an imbalance in education scholarships, bursaries and judicial services.
Mr Anthony Ogalo, a project director at the Rotary Club of Kampala West, said they want to empower boys just like it is being done for the girl-child.
“The effect of neglecting the boy child is reflected in the negative behaviour of our boys,” he said.
Policy
He also said while in the past the government has not had a deliberate policy on boy child empowerment, the boys need nurturing programmes.
“The boys are neglected by the community and parents, they think they can defend themselves and plan for their own future, which is not the case,’’ he said.
The statistics gathered in 2022 from different remand homes country-wide showed a bad trend for the boys. The cases, for example, reflected that National Referral Mental Hospital Butabika had more than 80 percent of the males.
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