The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has launched a campaign to sensitize fishing communities on the importance of educating their children to enable them compete for government jobs and other opportunities in the future.
The initiative comes amid growing concern over high school dropout rates among children living in landing sites and island communities, where fishing activities increasingly take precedence over education.
At Kiyindi Landing Site in Buikwe District, fishing remains the primary source of livelihood for most families. However, many children are abandoning school to engage in fishing-related activities such as sorting silver fish and hawking food items at the busy landing site.
A visit to Kiyindi Muslim Primary School revealed several classrooms with low attendance during school hours, while many school-age children were instead found working at the landing site.
Janet Mugabi, the Deputy Head Teacher of Kiyindi Muslim Primary School, said many parents in the area still do not appreciate the long-term value of education.
“Some parents believe fishing can provide immediate income for their children, so they think going to school is a waste of time,” Mugabi said.
She noted that enrollment at the school dropped from 1,200 to 800 pupils following the ban on silver fish harvesting, which had been a major source of livelihood for many families in the area.
Mugabi welcomed government efforts to increase awareness and strengthen enforcement of school attendance.
Yudaya Kayendeke, a resident of Busagazi Landing Site, said she would like to send her children to school but government schools are too far away, while private schools remain unaffordable.
“The children cannot walk such long distances every day. I am waiting for them to grow older,” she said.
Bazilio Odoi, a fisherman in Buwero-Najja Sub-county, blamed the government for failing to provide enough schools in the area.
“There are neither private nor government schools near us, and we cannot allow our children to walk long distances in search of education,” Odoi said.
Residents have urged the government to extend education services by constructing more primary and secondary schools for communities living along the shores of Lake Victoria in Buikwe District.
Kiyindi Town Council Town Clerk Moses Konde attributed low school enrollment partly to the shortage of schools in the area. He revealed that the expansive town council has only four government-aided primary schools and no government secondary school.
“We are trying to enforce school attendance, but we do not have enough personnel to monitor all the landing sites and communities,” Konde said.
According to Yusuf Muziransa, Principal Information and Communication Officer at the Equal Opportunities Commission, a survey conducted last year found that 35 percent of children in fishing communities are not accessing education.
He warned that failure to educate children in such communities has left many local residents unable to compete for government jobs, which are increasingly being taken up by people from outside the area.
“Education is the only way these communities can fully benefit from government programmes and employment opportunities,” Muziransa said.
He added that, besides the shortage of schools, many parents perceive fishing as more profitable than formal education. As a result, many children are denied opportunities to acquire skills and qualifications that would enable them to lead and work within their own communities.
The Equal Opportunities Commission has partnered with the Ministry of Education and Sports to encourage parents to keep their children in school while advocating for the construction of more schools on islands and in fishing communities along the shores of Lake Victoria.
Officials believe that increasing access to education will help break the cycle of poverty, improve employment prospects, and empower local communities to participate more effectively in national development.
