By Kabuye Ronald
A growing decline in the number of boys completing primary school has sparked concern among education stakeholders, with High Sound for Children urging urgent, evidence-based action to address the trend.
Hadijah Mwanje, the Executive Director of High Sound for Children has commended the Hon. Minister of Education and Sports for raising the alarm on boys’ completion rates, describing the concern as timely and critical to Uganda’s education future.
Recent analysis of primary school completion data by gender shows that 389,469 boys, representing 47.6 per cent, completed the primary education cycle compared to 428,324 girls, or 52.4 per cent. This pattern has remained consistent in recent years, with 2024 figures indicating 52.5 per cent completion among girls versus 47.5 per cent among boys.
While the improved performance and completion rates among girls reflect years of sustained national and global efforts to close historical gender gaps in education, High Sound for Children warns that the growing disparity should not be ignored.
“As the Minister rightly noted, it is essential to determine whether this trend is driven by demographic factors or whether it signals higher dropout rates among boys,” the organisation said in a statement.
Drawing on its work with children, schools, and communities, High Sound for Children highlighted a range of vulnerabilities that disproportionately affect boys and may contribute to school disengagement. These include child labour pressures, early involvement in income-generating activities, negative peer influence, substance abuse, a lack of male role models in lower primary schools, and social norms that may discourage academic persistence among boys.
The organisation emphasised that gains made in girls’ education must be protected, but stressed the need for a more balanced, data-driven approach to education equity.
“Progress for girls should not be reversed. Instead, it should motivate us to ensure that no child—boy or girl—is left behind,” the statement noted.
High Sound for Children has called for a comprehensive analysis of enrolment, attendance, and completion data disaggregated by sex, region, and socio-economic status. The organisation is also advocating for qualitative research to better understand the lived experiences of boys who drop out or are at risk of dropping out.
Additional recommendations include strengthening school-based mentorship and psychosocial support systems for both boys and girls, as well as expanding community engagement initiatives to challenge harmful social norms and promote the value of education for all children.
“Education equity requires the same urgency in responding to emerging gaps as was applied to long-standing disparities,” the organisation said.
High Sound for Children reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Ministry of Education and Sports, schools, development partners, and communities to ensure that every child in Uganda not only enrols in school but completes the primary education cycle with dignity, confidence, and opportunity.
“Together, we can build an education system that responds to the realities of all children and upholds their right to learn and thrive,” said Hadijah Mwanje, Executive Director of High Sound for Children.
