Primary school attendance in Buliisa district has remained very low, four days after the new school term opened this week.
The District Education Officer, Micheal Owinyi, blames the parents for the low school turn up. He says many children are being sent to participate in the cotton harvesting season and others have been compelled by the parents to continue their family fishing businesses on Lake Albert.
Owinyi says low school attendance has significantly affected the performance of schools in Buliisa. He says only 30 students out of the 6,000 registered for the Primary Leaving Examinations last year passed in Grade One.
Owinyi says his department plans to sensitize parents on the need to educate their children, as well as the law against child labor.
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In the meantime, the District Education Department, is working with Action Aid International to introduce alternative basic education for children in Buliisa district. Owinyi says the alternative basic education will provide children with basic literacy skills that are relevant to their current environments.
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