Description

In the heart of Uganda, in the Kiboga district, the Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) approach has helped the community of Gogonya to shift its view in regard their social responsibility.

The main issue in this predominantly rural community was not the absence of a school, but actually the lack of parents’ engagement with their children’s school and teachers. However, for the parents, the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme provided by the Government of Uganda was the one failing at taking care of the students.

In attempt to reverse the situation, the CVA approach was implemented with the goal of identifying barriers to service delivery and performance, as well as outlining ways to improve existing services. At a community gathering at Gogonya Primary School, parents and teachers discussed the UPE framework and clarified the parents’ rights and responsibilities.

“The relationship and cooperation between teachers and parents have improved since the gathering took place. Before the gathering, parents would never come to school to talk to teachers about the performance and behaviour of their children. Now, parents come to the school and talk to the teachers about how their children are performing,” said one of the teachers.

Parents in the community came to realize that they have a key role to play in the school life of their children. After the initiative, teachers find it easier to talk about challenges they face at the school, and most importantly, to receive support from parents.

“Nowadays, the community members jealously guard the school property like the tank, the school garden and classrooms. Previously they would not care if animals strayed into the school garden and ate the crops or mind if someone broke the lock on the tank’s tap. It is different now; they own the school,” explained Priscilla, a member of a Community Based Organization.

Active parents’ involvement has provided children with at least a cup of porridge while at school. This new parental engagement has defied a common myth among Ugandan parents that the President of Uganda should take care of children and the role of parents is simply to send them to school.

“As parents we were not aware of our roles. Whenever they would tell us to pay three thousand shillings for our children to have porridge we would refuse saying, ‘these are Museveni’s children; they should study free of charge.’ But now the parents are enlightened; they have changed their attitude and pay the money. Our children have porridge while at school,” said Mr. Mayanja, one of the parents.

Madina, another parent, explained the difference that the CVA approach has made in their community, “These sensitizations have helped us a lot as parents. We now understand our responsibilities. For example, we now provide exercise books and a mid day meal to the pupils. Previously this was not the case.”

With new incentive to attend school, children of Gogonya are richly benefiting from parents and teachers’ initiative of facing problems and getting to solutions together.

“We now drink porridge at school and no longer doze in class. We understand what the teachers are teaching and our parents no longer call us names at the end of the term because we have started getting good marks,” said one of the students.

The CVA approach effectively provided Gogonya a realistic plan of action in order to address an issue that was, on a daily basis, affecting children and ultimately the whole community. Last, working together as a community to improve their primary school has led them to realize their potential to resolve their own problems.