(From Left-Right) The District Vice chairperson, the Acting DEO, Ochowun from TotalEnergies EP with one of the beneficiaries during an orientation meeting in Nwoya District. Photos by Brian Komakech
By Simon Wokorach & Brian Komakech
Nwoya: Leaders in Nwoya district want TotalEnergies EP to include more boys in their scholarship opportunities program.
Since 2015, TotalEnergies EP, through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), has been sponsoring girls in the Tilenga Oil project districts of Nwoya and Buliisa.
The program involves paying ten bright girls who sit Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) from these districts for all their years in O’level, shooting the number of girl learners above boys.
Records from the education department show that for the past two consecutive years, the district has registered a drop in the number of boys sitting PLE compared to girls.
The record shows that in 2022, Nwoya registered 2,682 candidates for PLE, out of which 1,529 were boys and 1,153 were girls.
Comparing with the previous year, in 2023, the number of boys dropped to 1,418, while girls increased to 1,218, signifying an increase of 63 girls who sat for PLE.
Why are boys dropping out of school?
The Acting Nwoya District Education Officer, Philip Oryema, explained that the increase in the number of girls sitting PLE is due to scholarships by TotalEnergies which serves as a motivating factor to study hard and join secondary level.
Oryema cited examples of the current scholarship program by TotalEnergies EP in the Tilenga Oil project area where Nwoya is among the beneficiaries but noted the program targets young girls while excluding boys.
The scholarship has a full package for supporting the learners to complete O’Level, but the top performers can compete for five slots for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education.
“We have now gone for two consecutive years that the girls are more than the boy child which always has been that the boys are more girl-child. We see the decrease is coming as a result. I think there are a lot of initiatives supporting the girl child, which is very good and we need to retain it,” said Oryema.
He noted that since both the boys and girls live in the same environment, there is a need for inclusive scholarship opportunities to retain the boys whose numbers are declining.
Oryema raised the concerns on Wednesday during an orientation meeting with 10 beneficiaries of the Total Energies E&P scholarship program and their parents in Anaka Town Council in Nwoya District.
The selected beneficiaries are being sponsored to study at St. Andrea Kaahwa’s College in Hoima City for ‘O’ Level.
Oryema explained that the emphasis towards elevating the girl child is failing to strike the balance between both sexes which is exposing the boys to vulnerability with consequences of dropping out.
The Nwoya District Vice Chairperson, Moses Holy Ojok, equally asked TotalEnergies, which has largely been supporting the education sector in the district, to extend scholarships to boys to curb their dropouts.
Ojok noted that, while the district appreciates its partner TotalEnergies EP for keeping girls in school, there is a need to shift focus on equal support so that the boys are encouraged and motivated to study citing some are now engaging in drinking alcohol.
“Whereas we think of supporting the girl child who is more vulnerable, we also still want to ask Total to also at an appropriate time when resources are available to bring the boy child on board because when you go to the drinking places, and the streets, most of the boys have involved themselves in drinking and doing unnecessary things because they have lost hope,” Ojok claimed.
Poor first grades in Nwoya
While the support targets learners in disadvantaged positions to study, the candidate must have obtained a good score in grade one as one of the prerequisites for the award of a scholarship. In the 2023 PLE, Nwoya district with more than 2,000 pupils who registered, only 57 of its candidates passed in first grade out of which 16 were girls.
The TotalEnergies EP Public Relations and Public Affairs Coordinator, Christopher Ochowun, has however expressed concern about the poor performances in the district which he says affects the candidates to compete for places in top schools across the Country.
Ochowun revealed that, since the program was launched in 2013, a total of 250 students in Nwoya have been supported to complete secondary school.
He explained that, at the initial launch of the program in 2013, the boys had outcompeted the girls which forced the Oil Company to roll out a separate and special program in 2015 for girls, where they could favorably compete amongst themselves.
He has, however, urged the beneficiaries to maintain discipline and concentrate on studies to consolidate their scholarships noting the Company shall withdraw its support from any of the students who may fail.
One of the beneficiaries, Aber Lorna Lydia, who scored 11 aggregates from St. Kizito Bidati in Anaka Town Council is hopeful to complete ‘O’ Level with good grades and continue to achieve her dream of studying Medicine and Surgery to become a medical doctor.
“We sat 90 of us but only two of us got first grade, I nearly lost hope to study when schools were closed during COVID-19 19 but prayers kept my dream alive that one day I should become a doctor and save lives, I couldn’t waste this opportunity though my other colleagues have dropped out,” said Aber.
Opiyo Simon, one of the parents whose children are being supported has commended the Company for the initiative roll out for promoting the girl child education in the district.
“I think we need to treat children the same. For me at home, I have three girls and two boys, they do things together and I don’t discriminate against them. A program like this should also give them the same opportunity so that we shouldn’t end up with boys who shall become wasted when they become men,” Opiyo said.
Current enrolment of learners in Nwoya
This year, Nwoya District has registered 25,219 pupils who reported for the first term, with boys numbering 13,150 and 12,069 girls.
From the statistical observance, at least 9,791 have remained home based on the last year’s record, with the boys accounting for a higher number at 6,165 while the number of girls yet to report is 4,126.
