By Moses Bulamu
In Uganda, the harsh reality of early morning pick-ups (4:00 am – 5:00 am) for day school children is a ticking time bomb for their mental health. The constant struggle to wake up, get ready, and rush to school is a recipe for disaster. Sleep deprivation, stress, and anxiety are just the beginning. Children are forced to sacrifice precious sleep, compromising their cognitive function, academic performance, and overall well-being. The pressure to conform to an unrealistic schedule can lead to feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and a sense of burnout.
It’s time to rethink the early pick-up culture and prioritize children’s mental health. One wonders why schools don’t dialogue with parents for flexible schedules, alternative transportation arrangements that prioritize sleep and self-care for children. There are many risks associated with having children so early on the road, and sometimes so early with a random adult yawning and longing for care themselves! Of course, there are a few schools and transportation companies that have done better in this regard. And there are parents who have prioritized taking children to school in the morning as their thing! Kudos to them.
I think parents and schools can work towards creating a healthier, more supportive environment for Uganda’s school children, especially in urban and suburban communities. My take is that a 3-6 year old, all sleepy, all strapped up in shawls, all grumpy and stomping, will take at least two hours “to show up” in class, all because they were deprived of sleep and, in effect, carry a mental health issue with them. We need a rethink.
The benefit of a school-parent dialogue and rethink per early transport are immense! Children will get improved sleep, reduced stress anxiety, plus an accountable increased safety on the road. Importantly, it would ensure more family time plus total parental engagement and involvement. It’s a double-edged sword that will ensure that schools have enhanced pupil wellbeing and, in effect, create a bubbly atmosphere which enhances better academic performances, improved attendance, and punctuality. This suggestion, as above, is for the urban and suburban communities.
What happens at village level is a different ball game. The village learner grapples with limited transport to the learning center, longer distances, limited resources which don’t guarantee daily attendance, plus the cultural and traditional norms which range from how the girl child is treated to work before school!
Unfortunately, specific statistics on school transportation and early pick-ups in Uganda is a topic which isn’t well documented or researched. According to the World Health Organization’s 2021 report, 55% of the population in Uganda is under the age of 17, making the mental health issue a big problem. Uganda has 30 psychiatrists (could be more by this writing), attending to 35 million Ugandans.
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