This powerful update from Denis Olak Ongaya, Executive Director at Link Community Development Uganda, truly highlights what transformative education looks like when parents and communities are front and centre.
Over the past weeks, we’ve successfully conducted pupil-parent dialogues across nine districts in Acholi and Karamoja, where Link Community Development Uganda, in partnership with Save the Children, is delivering life-changing education interventions.
What has stood out powerfully is the commitment of parents – a reminder that education does not begin and end in the classroom. In Cheptumot Community School in Karamoja, parents resolved to construct a school toilet, improving pupils’ hygiene and safety. At Ulingiro, parents are actively mobilizing land to cultivate food, addressing the midday meals gap, which helps children to concentrate. In Napao, discussions centred on supporting enrolment and attendance when schools reopen, ensuring that no one is left behind. Across Acholi, similar momentum is growing—with parents pledging to take greater responsibility for their children’s learning journey.
These developments resonate deeply with findings from our GPE-KIX study on Scaling-up Innovative Gender, Inclusion and Safeguarding Approaches across Malawi, Uganda, and Ethiopia. The evidence is clear: community involvement, particularly parental engagement, is a key enabler in scaling inclusive and equitable education systems. When parents participate, accountability increases. When communities co-create solutions, sustainability is possible and when local voices are heard, innovation becomes locally owned.
As we conclude the sessions, I’m reminded of the parents-pupils dialogues we held this week. During a vibrant community dialogue in Kokuwam Community school, Kacheri Sub-County, Kotido District, we witnessed the strength and resilience of parents and pupils alike as they came together to reflect on the future of education in their community.
The School Management Committee (SMC) Chairperson, in a heartfelt address, called on fellow parents to unite in addressing the school’s most pressing challenges—access to clean water, teacher accommodation, and proper fencing. His message of collective action resonated deeply as he recognized parents’ ongoing contributions: from community gardening and food support to building temporary classroom structures with the little they have.
These efforts are nothing short of heroic. In reality, these “community schools” are not an option—they are a necessity. In many parts of Karamoja, they remain the only schools within entire parishes, despite the government’s policy of having one school per parish. The nearest government school is often more than 25km away, yet these community schools are not officially recognized (coded), which bars them from receiving the essential support they so desperately need.
This disconnect leaves thousands of children on the margins—unseen, unsupported, and underserved. At Link Community Development Uganda, in partnership with Save the Children Uganda, Link Education International, and Norad – Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, we remain committed to elevating community voices and advocating for the recognition and support of these critical education lifelines. Education must leave no child behind—not by policy, not by distance.
Let this be a reminder: inclusive, sustainable education starts at home—with informed, engaged, and supported parents. As we plan the next steps, we are more convinced than ever that scaling up impactful education interventions begins with empowering the primary stakeholders—parents and communities.
Read more about the Integrated Schools Leadership and Management Project