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Weeks after the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) suspended its 32-day industrial action, initiated over unresolved demands for salary enhancement, primary schools in Zombo District are experiencing significantly reduced learner enrolment.
Numerous pupils have yet to resume classes for Term III, exacerbating the district’s pre-existing challenge of a 10% school dropout rate recorded in 2024, which undermines efforts to sustain academic excellence.
UNATU, representing approximately 150,000 educators nationwide, halted the strike to facilitate parliamentary and Ministry of Public Service consultations on salary disparities among its members.
This development has prompted alarm among the District Education Department (DED) and various stakeholders, given the potential long-term impact on educational attainment and regional literacy indicators.
At Cana Primary School in Paidha Town Council, Headteacher Ms. Wathum Pauline reported that enrolment stood at 1,403 pupils at the close of Term II. However, following the industrial action that commenced at the start of Term III and concluded after one month, over 400 learners remain absent.
“Upon suspension of the strike, initial resumption yielded approximately 300 pupils, rising to over 500 by week’s end. Current enrolment reflects more than 400 learners still at home,” Ms. Wathum stated during an interview on Tuesday, 11 November 2025.
She urged parents to facilitate immediate return, emphasizing that only three weeks remain to complete the promotional term and highlighting the adverse ramifications of prolonged absenteeism.
Similar trends are evident at Guna Primary School in Nyapea Sub-County, where Headteacher Mr. Edward Opar confirmed that over 100 learners have failed to report this term.
At Alube Primary School in Kango Sub-County, Mr. Livingstone Wanican noted that, of 795 registered pupils on the Education Management Information System (EMIS), only 450 have returned, indicating approximately 345 absentees.
“Some parents have expressed intent to ‘strike’ , citing the extended disruption to their children’s learning,” Mr. Wanican added.
This pattern extends across multiple institutions in the district, which comprises 92 public primary schools, amplifying concerns over systemic enrolment decline.
Some teachers, mainly from public primary schools within Paidha Town Council, told this publication that some parents decided to transfer their children in the middle of the industrial action, citing the then-uncertainty over teachers’ return to school.
Mr. David Wathum, Secretary of Omua Chiefdom in Paidha, described the issue as district-wide, affecting areas such as Paidha Sub-County, Abanga, and Nyapea. He advocated for a multi-stakeholder intervention involving local leaders, parents, and community structures to reverse the trend.
Stakeholders further link the low turnout to broader regional challenges in West Nile Sub-Region, where the illiteracy rate is 59% compared to the national average of 74%.
District Education Officer’s Response
Mr. Patrick Angala, Zombo District Education Officer, acknowledged the crisis and called for collaborative action among local leaders, parents, media, cultural institutions, and civil society.
“Teachers have resumed duties; I appeal to parents to ensure learners from Primary 1 to Primary 6 return promptly to complete Term III, which concludes on 5 December 2025. Serious school activities are underway, and no child should be excluded,” Mr. Angala emphasised, warning that unaddressed dropout rates threaten the district’s educational future.
National data from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) and the 2024 Education and Sports Sector Annual Performance Reports (ESSAPR) reveal that over 40% of pupils nationwide fail to complete primary education, with girls disproportionately affected due to early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and poverty.
In West Nile, 28.7% of the population has never attended school, 48% have completed some primary education, and only 7.8% of the over 3 million residents are literate.
Ms. Ubedi Collins Gertrude, Commissioner for Resident District Commissioners in West Nile, recently addressed escalating girl-child dropout during the Alur Kingdom Coronation anniversary in Paidha, advocating for concerted efforts to combat the vice.
The prolonged absence of learners risks replicating post-COVID-19 lockdown outcomes, during which thousands of girls in Zombo experienced early pregnancies and marriages, disrupting the aspirations of over 5,000 female pupils. In response, the Alur Kingdom and civil society organisations implemented targeted interventions to mitigate recurrence and promote retention.
