On the 6th and 7th of June 2024, Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) through the Kyesiiga Child labour Social Dialogue project supported by Education International (EI); facilitated School Child Rights Clubs to embark on a significant school community engagement. This initiative aimed to address the pressing issue of child labour and promote enrollment and retention in the 11 project schools within Kyesiiga Sub-county, Southern Region.
The school community engagement brought together a diverse group of stakeholders including parents, guardians, Local Council leaders, headteachers, religious leaders, and opinion leaders from the surrounding neighborhoods. The schools visited included John King Orphanage Primary School (PS), St. Mary’s Katikamu PS, Kikonda PS, Kyesiiga PS, Kamulegu PS, St. Bruno Bbuliiro SS, St. Peters, Kitunga CU, and Kitunga Muslim PS.
During the visits, UNATU delivered an overview of the Kyesiiga Child Labour Social Dialogue project and the Go Back to School Campaign. The importance of this engagement was to help education stakeholders not only understand the various forms of child labour but also to find solutions to help children continue their education and ultimately stop child labour.
Each school community had the opportunity to engage in open discussions on education and child labour concerns. This platform allowed for the airing of community concerns and the suggestion of practical recommendations.
The engagement was particularly successful due to the active participation of children who began the meetings with vibrant performances. Through music, dance, drama, short skits, poems, and traditional dances, the children illustrated the child labour situation in their area. These performances were both enlightening and moving, effectively highlighting the issue at hand.
The success of this engagement lay in the open dialogue and the community’s readiness to address child labour. It fostered a collaborative environment where stakeholders could voice their concerns and contribute to the collective effort to keep children in school and out of labour.
Overall, the school community engagement in Kyesiiga Subcounty paves the way for ongoing dialogue and action against child labour.