Cost of Education

http://intuthuko.com/the-cost-of-an-education/ by  Angelica Jopson

The global cost of education is rising. But, according to Shelia Amanya, for the girls in Kabarole District, Uganda, the price is more than just financial.

Shelia is Ugandan. She grew up in Fort Portal and works as part of RASYN (Rwenzori Abstinence and Scripture Union Youth Network).

She explains that in high poverty areas many students drop out of school and higher education due to lack of fees. Those that stay often don’t have money to pay for books and materials, so, they turn to sex.

“You find a student will have sex with a man maybe because she is lacking a book, she is lacking a pen or a uniform”, Shelia says.

This is not unique to Kabarole District.

A study published by Makerere Univeristy School of Public Health last year reported that 15.4% of sexually active secondary school pupils in the country’s capital, Kampala, said the reason for their first time was money and other favours from their partners.

This practice is particularly common amongst girls as there are less opportunities for them to earn money than their male counterparts.

“What I’ve seen with men is they can find work”, Shelia says. “They can garden, they can fetch water for other people.”

A 2012 government report shows that since 1992 poverty in the country has been declining year on year, with the exception of 2002/2003. While indicators paint a brighter picture, those not yet in reach of the fabled middle-class status still find themselves vulnerable.

Shelia’s approach is to educate youth about faith, HIV/AIDS and to promote abstinence as well as teach them entrepreneurial skills.

The abstinence part of Uganda’s ABC (Abstinence, Be faithful, use a Condom) approach to HIV/AIDS prevention was initially credited with the successful drop in infections between the early 1990′s and 2005, but since 2006 numbers have again been climbing.

While the debate on which approach to HIV/AIDS prevention yields the most favourable long-term results continues when it comes to giving a young girl an alternative to having sex for school books the answer seems simple; financial opportunity.

Shelia agrees that without offering youth an alternative way to get what they need, any message is futile.

“Telling a youth to abstain from sex without supporting and empowering them with the skills to be economically and financially stable is like forcing a hungry dog to sleep on an empty stomach”, she says, “it will break the kennel to go and steal.”

RASYN have recently bought a piece of land in Fort Portal which will be turned into a agricultural project giving youth in the area the opportunity to learn practical skills and earn money from the produce they sell.

Currently they’re waiting for a soil assessment to reveal which vegetables will yield the best results.

Once the project kicks off Shelia hopes it will provide a practical alternative for young people and will give them the financial freedom to complete their education without having to swap sex for gifts or money.

“When I speak to the youth I really want them to understand that if you are poor or an orphan it doesn’t mean that you have to go sleep with men and women,” she says.