By Joseph Logola
Education authorities in Kotido district have revealed that over two thousand pupils who enrolled for primary one in the year 2016 did not reach primary seven.
According to the Kotido district inspector of schools Deborah Aigi, a total of 2,426 pupils enrolled in primary one seven years ago but 2,009 of them dropped out of school leaving only 417 learners at the end of the primary cycle.
She however, disclosed that out of the 417 pupils who remained only 330 registered and sat the primary leaving examinations in 2023 leaving the remaining 87 unaccounted for.
According to the 2023 PLE results, the district registered a 2.2% decline in performance compared to the 6.7% performance in the year 2022. The failure rate also increased from 3.3% in 2022 to 8.3% in 2023.
In an interview with our reporter Aigi noted with concern the poor retention and completion rate of learners in the district further urging teachers to create a conducive environment for learners for better performance, retention and completion rate to be achieved.
But a number of parents who spoke to our reporter attributed the high school dropout rate at the district level to parental neglect, laxity, insecurity, and lack of meals at school.
According to findings by the UN children’s agency, UNICEF the transition to secondary school in Karamoja Sub-Region stands at 14 per cent and 25 per cent compared to the national average of 67 percent and 70 per cent for girls and boys respectively
