Betty Napeyok, the headteacher of Longalom Primary School, said they are struggling to get higher enrollment due to the alleged scholarship offers from the nearby school. She explained that the rumor affected their enrollment, with many parents withdrawing their children. "
As schools enter the second week of the first term for the academic year 2025, some primary schools in Napak District are experiencing low enrollment despite ongoing back-to-school campaigns. For example, in the first week, Lokopo Primary School had no pupils, as rumors were circulating that the school would not open this term.
A similar situation occurred at Longalom Primary School, where all learners were reportedly lured by a nearby school, about 8 kilometers away from both Lokopo and Longalom. It is alleged that some officials were encouraging parents to send their children to Lodooi Primary School for a scholarship deal. At Longalom Primary School, only 497 learners were recorded as of Monday this week, out of the 1,373 learners enrolled last year.
Betty Napeyok, the headteacher of Longalom Primary School, said they are struggling to get higher enrollment due to the alleged scholarship offers from the nearby school. She explained that the rumor affected their enrollment, with many parents withdrawing their children. "We are doing everything possible to convince the parents to register their children as the first term resumes," Napeyok said. "We currently have 497 learners, and registration is still ongoing."
Napeyok also mentioned that rumors had spread that the school was not opening this term. She recalled that when they expected learners to report last week, it was the parents who came to confirm if the school was open. "After engaging with the parents, they agreed to register their children, and the enrollment is gradually increasing," Napeyok added. "The teachers are already conducting lessons with the learners currently in class."
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Remmy Okello Omara, the headteacher of Lokopo Primary School, shared a similar experience of low enrollment, attributing it to the neighboring school that allegedly attracted learners with the promise of a scholarship.
"We had to rally for the children through announcements in the church, which partially yielded some results," Omara said.
"We’ve just started registering learners after parents realized they had been duped by the scholarship offer. Enrollment is slowly improving, and the numbers are expected to stabilize this week."
Thomas Otim Loukae, a community-based monitor for the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition in Napak District, noted that Lokopo Primary School failed to open due to a lack of learners.
"The rumor about the school not opening was spread by the teachers," Loukae said.
"Partners have been helping us create awareness about the importance of education, but our efforts have yielded little results."
Loukae further explained that parents are claiming they cannot afford school fees or scholastic materials for their children. "The community doesn’t value education, and those who studied are often overlooked in society," Loukae observed.
"Sometimes, the community even questions why we went to school and remained jobless, like those who never attended. Negative attitudes toward education have greatly affected the community, and now children are seen only as a source of livelihood."
Loukae added that some parents are willing to send their children to beg on the streets to feed the entire family.
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John Paul Kodet, the LC5 chairperson of Napak District, said that school enrollment has increased compared to last week when the term opened.
"Parents are getting used to sending their children to school after the first two weeks of term," Kodet said.
"In my inspection today, I observed that Kalotom Primary School had enrolled 751 students out of a total population of 1,000,"
Kodet stated that learners are steadily returning to school, and full attendance is expected by the end of the week. Responding to the scholarship rumors, Kodet said the district leadership investigated the issue and found the claims to be baseless.
"The call for sponsorship affected enrollment in other schools as parents sought free education," he said.
Kodet also observed that there are still children in the kraals, and the district education committee has given parents a three-week ultimatum to send their children to school before enforcement actions begin.
"We are currently assessing the teachers and allowing children to report before we begin operations in the communities and kraals," Kodet said.
