Church leaders call for revival of Catholic education in Acholi

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Rev. Fr Ronald Reagan Okello, executive secretary for education at the Uganda Episcopal Conference, has urged Catholic educators to reclaim their heritage and revitalise Catholic education.

Speaking at the Kalongo Deanery Education Engagement hosted by Archbishop Flynn in Pader district on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, Fr Okello emphasised that teaching is a vocation, not merely a job. He lamented the decline of once-prominent Catholic schools in the Gulu Archdiocese, citing financial struggles as a major challenge.

Okello called on stakeholders to take responsibility for restoring Catholic education, stressing the importance of incorporating religious teachings into primary school curricula. He highlighted concerns about the challenges children face in practising their faith within the current education system.

The conference, aimed at identifying and addressing challenges affecting Catholic schools in the Acholi sub-region, covered the districts of Kitgum, Agago, Pader, Lamwo, Amuru, Nwoya, Omoro, and Gulu.

Rev. Fr Ronald Regan Okello Education Secretary UEC. (Photo by Robert Mone)

In a comprehensive presentation, Rev. Fr Robert Odong, the education secretary for Gulu Archdiocese, outlined both the strengths and challenges of Catholic education in the region. He revealed that the Gulu Archdiocese boasts 453 Catholic-founded primary schools, 32 Catholic-founded secondary schools, and 20 tertiary institutions, totalling 629 schools.

However, despite this extensive infrastructure, the Archdiocese faces a worrying trend of low student retention. Odong noted that only 10% of pupils from Catholic primary schools transition to secondary school, with a mere 4% completing secondary education. Less than 1% of students from the Archdiocese go on to attend higher institutions of learning.

Additionally, Odong highlighted the concerning outflow of students from the Acholi sub-region to other parts of Uganda, particularly Central Uganda, with over sh6b spent annually on education outside the region. He emphasised the need for a collective effort to address these challenges and strengthen local education institutions.

Kalongo Deanery, which once boasted 159 Catholic-founded schools in the Gulu Archdiocese, has seen this number drop to 129, as some institutions have ceased operations.

Pader district vice chairperson Justine Ocen further revealed that education in the district is grappling with a teenage pregnancy crisis. According to Ocen, between July and December 2024, 1,116 school-going girls under the age of 19 became pregnant, with a total of 2,291 pregnancies recorded throughout the year.

Rev. Fr Dr Paul Peter Rom, administrator of Archbishop Flynn Secondary School in Pader district, emphasised the need for a holistic approach to education, particularly in Catholic institutions. He stressed that education should go beyond academic achievements to focus on the development of the whole person.

Dr Rom described education as "the orientation of a human person towards the greatest good, God," underscoring the need for educators to nurture not only the minds but also the hearts and spirits of students. He likened educators to farmers, stating, "An educator is a farmer, must be a cultivator," emphasising their role in shaping students' growth and development.

In this context, he expressed a desire for students to be formed with "big heads and big hearts," producing individuals who are not only intellectually capable but also compassionate, empathetic, and committed to serving others.

While officially launching the week-long education engagement for Catholic schools across the Acholi sub-region, the Archbishop of Gulu, Most Rev. Raphael P’Mony Wokorach, urged stakeholders to understand and embrace the Church’s approach to education.

"The Church has its own ways of educating, and it's important for us to enter into the mind of the Church and see how the Church looks at education. In the mind of the Church, education is an integral part of evangelisation," he said.

Wokorach further emphasised that education is a vital tool for evangelisation, particularly in northern Uganda. He pointed out that missionaries used three key pillars to spread the faith: building churches, constructing schools, and establishing health facilities.

The week-long education engagement is expected to attract district leaders, school management committees, boards of governors, governing councils, and parish education committees across all six deaneries of the Gulu Archdiocese.

The programme began in Kalongo Deanery and will move to Kitgum Christ the King and Kitgum Mission Deanery before proceeding to the West Acholi deaneries of Lacor, Gulu Cathedral, and Holy Rosary, running from March 25, to April 3, 2025.