Over 51,000 school-age children unaccounted for in Agago

What the report says

Agago district authorities in northern Uganda say more than 51,000 school-age children are not reflected in the formal education system, and have ordered families to send them back to class when third term starts on September 14. The Observer reported that the figure emerged from a comparison of district enrolment data with population figures from the 2024 Uganda Bureau of Statistics census.

District chairperson Wilson Otto said Agago has 112,426 children aged six to 18, but only 56,020 were enrolled in primary school and 4,591 in secondary school by the end of the second term. That leaves an estimated 51,815 children outside school records. District leaders said they will work with education officials, local leaders, police and other agencies to track children found out of school during school hours and refer cases for action.

The directive also covers children who are pregnant or already parents, with Otto saying those circumstances should not automatically end their education. He also cautioned schools against turning pupils away over Parent-Teacher Association contributions. Parents quoted in the report supported the effort but said poverty, teenage pregnancy and domestic responsibilities are among the reasons some children drop out and need wider help, not only enforcement.

The issue matters because it points to major gaps in school participation and the risk of child labour, exploitation and long-term low literacy. More broadly, in Uganda and across the region, local governments often combine school-return campaigns with community enforcement when dropout rates rise.