The Minister of Education and Sports, who is also the First Lady, Janet Kataha Museveni on Friday launched the “Africa Educate Her” campaign in Uganda. The ceremony to launch the campaign took place during commemorations to mark the International Day for the Girl Child, which took place at the Ministry of Education and Sports Head office at Embassy House in Kampala.
In a speech read for her behalf by State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, the First Lady said: “It’s time to educate the girl child and address challenges such as; early marriages and gender based violence because every girl deserves equal opportunities for many believe education breaks poverty in families.”
She promised that her ministry is committed to expand access to quality education, combat early marriages and female genital mutilation (FGM) among others.
“We will support mentorship to support girls’ education because this campaign is for all individuals,”she added.
During the same occasion, Robert Ikwap, the Assistant Commissioner for Primary Education, while representing his Permanent Secretary, Ketty Lamaro, said the ministry has put in place wash facilities for both boys and girls in schools. He said school friendly infrastructure has also been provided to cater for all learners irrespective of those with disabilities.
“The International Day for the Girl Child reminds us of our role to empower girls. We have put in place a National Strategy Plan for both girls and boys in our education system. Girls and Boys compete favorably because access to quality education is a fundamental Human Right,” he added.
He added that as Government, they are committed to strengthening the education legal system to ensure the right education curriculum is put in place for girls and boys.
“We promise to deliver on issues raised by girls during their presentations as we mark the International Day for the Girl Child.”
The School girls and boys who attended the function highlighted some of their challenges to include; bullying of girls by boys in schools, stigmatization of HIV positive girls and boys in schools, child pregnancy and drug abuse among others.
The International Day for the Girl Child was held under the theme: “Our time is now-Our Rights, Our Future”. The National celebrations for the Girl Child are slated for 19 0ctober 2023, in Kampala.
The Commemoration for the Girl Child celebrations were done in partnership with UNICEF, UNESCO, Plan Uganda and UNAIDS among others.
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