Launched Pakwach education ordinances to protect children against Child Labour

By Geofrey Achora Jr

Pakwach District has launched an education ordinance aimed at protecting and keeping learners at school with the fulfillment of their rights and responsibilities. At a fully parked session on Thursday at Pakwach town council hall with support from Action Aid officially launched the Education Ordinance 2022 amidst applause from stakeholders in attendance

The ordinance was derived from a community Barraza dumped “The Pakwach We Want” that was conducted in 2019 all over the District capturing the concerns and the main plights affecting education performance in the entire district.

The district Chairman Robert Omito Steen presented some of the critical issues raised during the Barraza that was responsible for the gradual decline in the performance of the Education sector in the district as Absenteeism of both learners and teachers, lack of support to children with special needs, operation of disco’s and bars, inadequate or lack of sanitary facilities among other factors.

The education ordinance outlines punitive measures for contravening the provision in the section committed as an offence and shall be reliable to disciplinary action.

It’s the duty of a child of school-going age to be in school and learn for the stipulated schedules and also to accord full respect to the parents, caregivers, or any other Adults.

He emphasized that Education forms the basic foundation of transformation and if we are to fulfill the dream of “The Pakwach We Want”, the entire populace of Pakwach District must be bound by this ordinance so that all play their roles accordingly.

“I want all the stakeholders here to rally for this campaign it rubberstamps to what our learners have gone through and silently killing their future and any child and parents found going against this amounts to heavy penalty, let’s give hope and ray to our children for a better Pakwach we want tomorrow” Omito stressed

With reported mushing disco halls in the district without clear control measures for minors, the ordinance bars a disco, video, or film operator to allow a child into such a premise and by defying is liable to a fine not exceeding one currency point and on the second offence loss of operating disco licenses and a fine not exceeding two currency points.

Pakwach district council passed the draft bill in the council sitting and the district thereafter swiftly formalized it to the solicitor General seeking approval into the ordinance which was duly signed, gazette contained in the “Uganda Gazette No. 30 Volume CXV dated 10^th June 2022.