Only 3% of Muslims in North-Eastern Uganda are Literate – Report

Less than 3 per cent of the Muslims in Teso and Karamoja sub-regions can read and write, a new study has revealed. 

According to the study, the illiteracy levels among Muslims stand at 97.3 per cent despite efforts by Muslim charitable organizations to sponsor needy students.

 The study conducted by a group of lecturers from Soroti University focused on the needs of the Muslim community in the two sub-regions. 

The high illiteracy rates are blamed on the high poverty levels among Muslims. 

“We agreed on doing research and a needs survey so that we would be scientifically informed about the real challenges affecting the Muslims and realized that the illiteracy levels in the Muslim community are extremely high,” said Sheikh Abubakar Obilan Umar, the lead researcher. He however revealed that the Muslim leadership has devised plans to address the education gap in the Muslim community through the establishment of Ateker Muslim Foundation Education Fund. 

According to Sheikh Asuman Muhammed Ocen, the Kadhi of Teso Muslim District, many Muslims are reluctant to pay for their children’s education needs with the hope of getting support from charitable organizations. This partly explains why most Muslim-founded schools in the area have fewer Muslim learners and are run by Christian teachers.

We don’t have many Muslim teachers. But at least we are trying to train so that we get Muslim teachers in our school. But also when you see some of the Christians in our school, they are good,” Sheikh Ocen said. 

Rajab Hassan, a Muslim leader and businessman in Nabilatuk district says that there is a need to change the attitude of the Muslim community towards education. Hassan noted that most of the children that benefitted from scholarships under the African Muslim Agency and other sponsors dropped out of school even when their educational needs were fully taken care of. 

For instance, only two out of the 22 learners that go scholarships in 2010 under Karamoja Muslim district, have remained in school. Another sponsorship program that identified orphaned Muslim children in Karamoja has remained with one student who sat for his O-level exams last year. Abdumali Kolado, the Secretary for Education in Teso Muslim District Council blamed what he termed as a negative attitude among Muslims towards education. This, he said, has also affected the management of Muslim institutions like schools and health facilities.

There are only 30 Muslim-founded primary schools in North-Eastern Uganda.