Why support Primary Schools?
91% of children of primary school age attend school in urban areas, compared to 85% in rural areas. For every 100 students enrolled in Grade 1, only 50 remain by Grade 6. Students must take yearly exams to pass onto the next grade. If they don’t pass, they must repeat the grade (some do and others are put to work herding goats or helping in the garden). Tests the students take are in English and created from the Ugandan State curriculum. If teachers don’t have the current books, they may not cover the material that will be covered on the tests. Students are also challenged by poor diet, missing school due to Malaria, having to help parents on market day, or simply a lack of English vocabulary.