Obongi pupils resort to self-awareness for retention in school

OBONGI – The 19-year-old Viola Mudong, a South Sudanese pupil of Belameling primary school would not have lived a life of regret had she attained skills of assertiveness.

One would not rightly guess her age if she has not revealed it herself, she looks relatively younger than her age and fits in well with fellow pupils despite being a mother.

She is among mothers who have enrolled back to school after giving birth about three years ago.

“I would have been in secondary school by now where my colleagues are had it not been the child I conceived. But now I am determined to study and become a nurse, the skills we are getting now about life are good and had I acquired them earlier, I would not have conceived,” Mudong said.  

She says suffering at her in-laws’ place where she got married and positive attitude towards her by her parents made her come back home and return to school to chase her dreams.

“My mother is helping me to look after my child at home while I concentrate on my education but I encourage my colleagues not to follow my past example,” she adds.

Obongi district located in the Nile belt faces similar challenges that fishing communities face of limited interest among children to go to school preferring fishing where they get quick money.

And this is coupled with cultural norms where girls who conceive however young they may be should concentrate on marriage.

Teenage pregnancies have been on increase with 18 percent cases reported in 2019, about 86 cases reported in the district in 2021, according to statistics. And in 2024, the district has recorded 30 per cent of teenage pregnancies and drop outs in the district from the enrollment of about 6,000 pupils.

Another, Sandra Poni, a pupil of Gopele primary school, said: “I have learnt to be assertive because living in denial is bad. Many girls are dying silently because they are not bold enough to speak about issues affecting them.”

She said girls should live responsible lives and return back to school even when they mess up. “Becoming pregnant is not the end of the world. You can still return to school once there is support and achieve your dreams. Let girls build self-confidence,” she said.

The head girl of Obongi primary school, Desire Sunday, said: “The life skills I have acquired have helped me to tell boys that we are brothers and sisters and relationships and sex can wait until we complete school and have reached the reasonable age for it.”

The Obongi district Education officer, Felix Idraku, said on Wednesday that through the support from Rural Initiative for Community Empowerment (RICE-West Nile) under the project of Rising Uganda, they have been able to re-enroll those out of school back to school and to retain them.

“One of the major challenges in our community has been teenage pregnancy and early marriage, but through the Bonga groups in schools, these children have been able to manage themselves,” he said.

Idraku noted that the parents whose children once dropped out of schools have also been sensitized about positive parenting because dropping out has been as a result of weak parenting.

As a result, enrolment in primary schools has risen above the target of 6,000 to 7,000 in Obongi district.

He said sometimes the girls drop out of school because parents are unable to provide basic needs like sanitary pads but under the project, boys are being specifically targeted to make re-usable pads for their counterparts.

The Assistant Education officer in charge of guidance and counselling, Josephine Jode, said: “The Bonga club was established to teach members of life skills that they would use to address challenges that they may face like problem solving, critical thinking, decision making and assertiveness among others.”