The Uganda episcopal conference calls for the revitalisation of catholic education

26 March 2025, 07:01

By James Patrick Odongo

Pader, Uganda | Rev. Fr. Ronald Reagan Okello, Executive Secretary for Education, during the Deanery Engagement Meeting on education, urged Catholic educators to reclaim their heritage and revitalise Catholic education. Speaking at a conference hosted by Archbishop Flynn on Tuesday, 25th March 2025, Fr. Okello emphasised that teaching is a vocation, not just a job.

He lamented the decline of once-prominent Catholic schools in the Gulu Archdiocese, attributing it to financial struggles. Fr. Okello urged stakeholders to take responsibility for revitalising Catholic education.

The conference aimed to address the challenges facing Catholic schools. Fr. Okello stressed the importance of incorporating religion into the primary school curricula, noting the challenges children face in practising their faith.

In a comprehensive presentation, the Education Secretary for Gulu Archdiocese, Rev. Fr. Robert Odong, outlined the state of education in the Archdiocese, highlighting both its successes and ongoing challenges.

According to Rev. Fr. Odong, the Gulu Archdiocese boasts an impressive 453 Catholic-founded primary schools, 32 Catholic-founded secondary schools, and 20 tertiary institutions, making a total of 629 schools.

However, despite this impressive infrastructure, the Archdiocese faces significant challenges in retaining students. Rev. Fr. Odong revealed that only 10% of pupils from Catholic primary schools transition to secondary schools, and only 4% complete secondary education. A mere 1% of students from the Archdiocese progress to higher institutions of learning.

Furthermore, Rev. Fr. Odong highlighted the alarming trend of Acholi students seeking education outside the region, with over 6 billion shillings being spent on education in other regions, particularly in Central Uganda.

Kalongo Deanery, once home to 159 Catholic-founded educational institutions in Gulu Archdiocese, has seen this number dwindle to 129, as some schools have ceased operations.

Rev. Fr. Odong’s presentation served as a clarion call to stakeholders, emphasising the need for a collective effort to address the challenges facing education in the Gulu Archdiocese.

Pader district Vice Chairperson Justine Ocen revealed that Pader district is grappling with a teenage pregnancy crisis amid education challenges.

According to Ocen, between July and December 2024, 1,116 school-going girls under 19 years old became pregnant, with a total of 2,291 pregnancies recorded throughout the year 2024. This translates to an average of 200 pregnancies per month, or six per day.

The conference aimed to galvanise support for Catholic education and explore strategies to address the existing challenges.