On Wednesday, October 11, 2023, the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Ms. Sarah Mateke, highlighted the importance of increasing the number of female graduates as part of the International Day of the Girl Child celebration.
Ms. Mateke pointed out the gender disparity in education, particularly at the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) level. She emphasized the need to enhance the enrollment of girls in higher education institutions.
While there has been an overall increase in children’s enrollment in primary and secondary education, the achievement and completion rates for girls still lag behind those of boys.
Ms. Mateke’s concerns were in line with the theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child: ‘Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership and Wellbeing.’ She noted that although gender parity has been achieved in primary education, the same efforts should be directed toward reducing the dropout rate of girl students at all levels of education.
According to statistics from the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB), boys have consistently outnumbered girls in recent years in UACE enrollment. For example, in 2022, out of 96,557 UACE candidates, only 40,219 were females compared to 56,023 boys. In 2020, the gap was even wider, with over 13,000 more boys than girls among the 97,084 candidates.
Ms. Mateke stressed that addressing the completion gap between boys and girls requires tackling violence and harmful social norms that hinder girls’ educational opportunities.
She commended President Yoweri Museveni for the Presidential Youth Skilling Programme, which is creating opportunities for girls across the country. Recently, over 16,000 youths graduated under this program.
