By James Alomu

SOROTI — A total of 1,938 learners at Soroti Senior Secondary School have not reported for the third term, according to a headcount conducted by the Soroti City Education Department.

The exercise, conducted on Friday, September 18, 2026, was aimed at establishing the actual enrollment and attendance as schools reopened for the final term of the academic year.

Data collected during the headcount showed that only 4,476 learners had reported out of the 6,414 who completed the second term. The figure included 2,182 boys and 2,294 girls, leaving 1,938 learners unaccounted for at the time of the exercise.

Soroti City Education Officer Michael Obuya described the low turnout as worrying, particularly because candidates are preparing for their final national examinations.

“It means that within the first week most students have not reported to school and are loitering at home yet teaching and learning has started,” Obuya said.

He said education officials would return to the school to establish the exact number of learners who had reported by then.

“Our preliminary findings show that the number that closed second term was 6,414 but as of today the headcount shows 1,938 learners are absent,” Obuya said.

Obuya urged parents to ensure their children return to school before the release of capitation grants, warning that prolonged absenteeism could have implications for school planning and funding.

The school's headteacher, Wilfred Oluka Okeriau, said some learners tend to take the beginning of the term lightly and appealed to parents to ensure their children report on time.

Oluka also called on teachers to encourage learners already at school to remind their colleagues to return, noting that teaching and learning activities were already underway.

He said the school would also use radio announcements as part of efforts to mobilise learners who had not yet reported.

According to Obuya, the wider headcount exercise will run from Monday, September 21 to Wednesday, September 23, 2026, and will cover five public schools: Soroti Senior Secondary School, Teso College Aloet, Agora Secondary School, St Mary's Girls School and St Francis School for the Blind.

The exercise is intended to provide education authorities with updated figures on learner attendance and enrollment as schools settle into the third term.