education 1 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
New Curriculum Empowers Vulnerable Jinja Children to Fund Their Education Through Entrepreneurship
Vulnerable students in Jinja's impoverished areas like Soweto and Masese are using skills from the new competency-based curriculum to start small businesses, generating income for school fees and supplies. Initiatives like soap making and jewelry production have reduced dropout rates, with added support from local and international benefactors. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/education/how-new-curriculum-has-helped-jinja-s-vulnerable-children-stay-in-schools-5443276
In Jinja’s poverty-stricken neighborhoods of Soweto and Masese, children from single-mother households are staying in school thanks to the practical skills taught under Uganda’s new competency-based curriculum.
At Masese Seed Secondary School, Senior Two student Hannington Mukisa turned bar soap production into a viable income source. Starting with no fees for the Shs120,000 term, he raised Shs100,000 from community well-wishers to buy materials. Each batch yields 30 bars sold at Shs5,000 apiece, netting Shs40,000 profit after costs—enough for fees and family needs. Mukisa produces soap early mornings and evenings to balance studies.
“Without these skills, I’d be a dropout,” he shared.
Primary Six pupil Catherine Babirye at Lake Site Primary School in Masese learned necklace, bangle, and liquid soap making through an entrepreneur club led by deputy head teacher Jesica Wailire. She now sells products to the school, buying her own pens and books—items her mother couldn’t afford.
Wailire notes a sharp drop in absenteeism since the projects began, though limited capital hinders expansion.
US visitor James Patrick Cowles, impressed by the innovations, launched the Patrick Entrepreneurs Corner (PEC) in March to provide capital and training. He invites school leaders and student entrepreneurs for skill-building sessions.
Maese Parish LC2 Chairman Pastor Paul Batambuze praised the support for the area’s most vulnerable residents, urging schools to maximize the opportunities.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)