9.0 HEALTH AND EDUCATION
The health situation in Mubende is generally poor. It is characterized by high Infant Mortality Rate (119/1000) and high Maternal Mortality Rate (600/100,000) (1991 Census). It is also reported that the overall safe water coverage is low (33%) while latrine coverage (62%) is not any better.
The most common causes of morbidity are malaria, upper respiratory infections, intestinal worms, trauma, diarrhea diseases, skin diseases and malnutrition. The AIDS scourge has complicated the health situation to increasing opportunistic infections and mortality. Though AIDS awareness is high (85-98%), the rate of HIV/AIDS infection continues to rise. HIV prevalence is between 7.4% -14%.
The district has a total of 52 health units; 44 of which are Government aided, 8 NGOs involved in offering health services are spread throughout the district but mainly in the densely populated areas. These include 1 Hospital, 3 health centre IVs, 9 health centre IIIs and 37 health centre IIs. The sector is composed of five (4) semi-autonomous sections: The DHO’s Office, Mubende Hospital Health Sub-District, Kassanda South Health–Sub-District and Kassanda North Health-Sub-District.
Education is an investment and a catalyst for rapid change. With the introduction of UPE programme in 1997, overall enrolment increased from 37,552 pupils to 99,653 to date (District Development Plan, 2007). There were 211 Government Aided Primary schools and 100 private primary schools.
With the successful implementation of UPE program in Mubende district, the number of pupils enrolled has been progressively increasing; there is no significant difference between boys and girls enrolment (it is about 51% to 49%). Enrolment by April 2007 stood at 99,653 pupils (50,824 boys and 48,829 girls) in government-aided schools and 26,648 for privately owned primary schools giving a total enrolment in the district of 126,301. However the Cohort Retention Rate - CRR was 35% in 1997.
The big increases in enrolment has exerted pressure on the already over-stretched school infrastructure namely classrooms, desks, pit latrines and teachers’ accommodation. The desk pupil ratio is reported at 1:9. This depicts a very high shortage of seats for children in primary schools. This situation is worsened by cases in some schools where pupils do not only sit on stones and tree stumps but study under trees.
Clean water access by primary schools is far from satisfactory; hence provision of water for schools is a big challenge in education sector. Only about 2% of the schools in the district are served with piped water, 65% of the schools get their water from unprotected wells and for a distance of more than a kilometre from the water source especially in the dry belts of the district.
There is also low institutional latrine coverage in the district especially among primary schools. The latrine stance to pupil ratio is 1:131 instead of 1:40 recommended ratio. The available latrines lack privacy, i.e. many do not have door shutters and curtain walls are inadequate, they are unhygienic and do not exhibit gender sensitivity i.e. there is no separation of girls and boys. Teachers also use the same facilities.
A survey on Education status for CWDs that was conducted in 2000 by the District Planning Unit -DPU in conjunction with ABP revealed that: CWDs constitute 17% of total number of children; of these children 42% do not attend school. That the majority of CWDs going to school are the physically disabled 74%, the rest do not go to school due to the special needs required. That, of the total number of CWDs, 16% is of orphans.
The district, sub-county and community development plans lack focus on the development needs of People With Disabilities especially CWDs. There is no clear policy at national, district and sub-county on CWDs. Plans for training and equipping specialized teachers (Special Needs Education) are not clear. Lack of a provision for meals at school is a hindrance to school performance and attendance (KCF FGD, 2006).
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