Parents forced to buy scholastic materials before release of arrested children

Maracha, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parents and guardians in Alikua Sub County, Maracha district, were compelled to buy scholastic materials before authorities released over 20 children who had been arrested for loitering at home during school hours early this week.

The parents were also given stern warnings, with local officials emphasizing that the operation would continue throughout the year to ensure children stay in school. The children, aged between four and nine years, were arrested on Monday morning in an operation led by trading center committee members and Local Council One leaders.

They were picked up from roads and trading centers in Olevu and handed over to sub-county officials for further action. They remained in detention at the Alikua Sub County headquarters until evening when parents and relatives showed up to claim them.

However, the authorities only released the children after their parents presented scholastic materials as proof that they were ready to send them back to school. Robert Edema, the LC3 Chairman of Alikua Sub County, confirmed the arrests, stating that they were deliberately carried out to improve Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results in the area.

Some of the arrested children blamed their parents for not providing the required school materials, which had forced them to stay home despite schools reopening a week earlier for the new academic year. Reports from the sub-county indicate that some parents and guardians claimed they lacked the money to buy supplies, while others said they were prioritizing older children’s education, leaving the younger ones at home. Bosco Zakua, the chairman of the Maracha Primary Schools Head Teachers Association, commended the Alikua authorities for taking action, urging them to maintain the crackdown to improve academic performance.

Alikua Sub County has five primary schools, all of which failed to register a single first-grade in the recently released PLE results. Following the operation, local governments across the West Nile region have vowed to implement similar measures to address the growing challenge of school dropouts, particularly in primary education.

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