Learners with nodding syndrome in Kitgum fail to return to school

Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least twenty pupils of Alune Primary School suffering from the nodding syndrome have failed to resume studies.

The school with an enrollment of 449 learners is located in Labongo Akwang sub county.

Of these, 30 were suffering from nodding syndrome as of the 2020 enrollment, before the closure of all learning institutions due to the coronavirus disease.

Before the closure, it had an enrolment of 30 pupils suffering from nodding syndrome. These are part of the 449 learners.

However, since the school reopened last month, less than half of the learners with the condition have reported back for studies.

Some of the learners have reportedly been impregnated, while others the condition has deteriorated, other reasons include the lack of food in the school and teachers to attend to them.

John Okura, the Alune Primary School headteacher said on Friday that the number of learners with nodding syndrome had been varying between ten and six since the reopening prompting concerns from the school management.

He disclosed that absenteeism has greatly been linked to the lack of trained personnel to handle the children, pregnancy, and hunger.

Okura explained that on Wednesday this week, the school management and Parents Teachers Association (PTA) members resolved in a meeting that all parents of children with the condition provide one liter of cooking oil, half a kilogram of onions, one bar of soap, one packet of salt, 10 kilograms of beans, 15 kilograms and Shillings 6,000 termly to provide food for the learners with the condition while at school.

52-year-old Alice Akello from Tumangu Bongo Lakuu village said that she has failed to send one of her two children suffering from nodding syndrome back to school since his condition has deteriorated.

Akello’s son who is a 20-year-old was in Primary Six at Alune Primary School together with his brother who is in Primary Four.

Bosco Oringa, says that the decision is welcoming since it will help keep the children in school because their major problems are hunger, especially during the afternoon hours when they experience convulsions.

Earlier, Patrick Omal, the school headteacher appealed to the district health and education departments to train their teachers on managing learners with nodding syndrome since the trained ones were all transferred.

He noted that keeping the children with nodding syndrome in schools will keep them from abusers.

*****

URN