BY OBED KULE KITHENDE
Eight students of Nyakiyumbu Secondary School in Nyakiyumbu Sub-county, Bukonzo West Constituency in Kasese District who were found pregnant after the Easter Day celebrations and allegedly suspended from the institution have caused a public concern especially among the Civil Society Organizations.
The affected students include one in senior one, two in senior three, four in senior four and one in senior five.
Ms. Juliet Biira Bagheni, the Community Development Officer for Nyakiyumbu Sub-county, says teenage pregnancies are on the rise in the lower local government.
She attributes the trend to poor parenting especially the allegedly failure to provide some scholastic materials to their children, hence forcing the girls into early sex. She advises the school-going girls to prioritize education.
Mr. Cyril Muhindo, the Sub-county Vice Chairperson in-charge of Children’s Affairs, says cases of rape, early marriages and pregnancies, drug abuse, domestic violence and school drop outs are increasing in the area, hence undermining development.
Jimmy Muhindo, the school’s Head boy and Joan Kabugho, the Head girl allege that the students end up in miserable conditions while at school.
The school’s Head Boy, Jimmy Muhindo, and Head Girl, Kabugho Joan, described how some students end up in miserable conditions while at school.
Mr. Ronald Kato, a Human Rights Activist and Executive Director at Kasese Youth Link for Development, urges the learners to abstain from sex and focus their minds on education.
The school administration, however, pledges to investigate the matter.
ENDS