Rt. Rev. Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa Advocates for Co Curricular Activities in Schools During Launch of his book “Contrasting Ironies.”

Oct 18, 2024 - 20:39
Oct 19, 2024 - 16:27
 0
Rt. Rev. Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa Advocates for Co Curricular Activities in Schools During Launch of his book “Contrasting Ironies.”

The Bishop of Ankole Diocese and Chancellor of Bishop Stuart University in Mbarara Rt. Rev. Bishop Fred Sheldon Mwesigwa has opened up publicly to a brief story regarding his journey teaching and studying in the United Kingdom and the difference between first world countries education system and that in countries which they regard to be in third world.

The bishop was launching a book in kampala at fairway hotel, Wednesday, entitled “Contrasting Ironies” where he hosted the Senior Presidential Advisor and the former Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Prof. Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu as the Chief Guest. He emphasized more on the importance of the co curricular activities in schools because they administer values of hard work to students besides theories, thereby creating assurance for self employment in the real world even after school.

In the book, the bishop tells his story of the year 2000, where he traveled to the UK to study on half bursary given by some NGO which contributed 3 quarters of his tuition and the remaining quarter to be paid by himself.  

He indicated how he had to find work to do so as to raise the balance of his tuition fees. Lucky enough he landed a job as a standby teacher after several attempts to apply for many opportunities, some of which disqualified him for being too qualified as an excuse. “ A standby teacher is a teacher who acts as a substitute for any teacher who is absent at a moment. This means he had no specific subject to teach but he taught once called on duty.”

Despite beautiful buildings in the school he was teaching, he says that the education of the students was extremely low. Another issue he realizes is that of people who live with perceptions that sometimes are not true. Children from third world countries were more disciplined than those from first world countries.

Referring to Kibubura girls secondary school where he once taught as a teacher, in summary, the bishop says school children should be ready to work for a good life because material approach to life is a danger to the community.

Kibubura Girls Secondary School is a female based school located in Kyaruhanga Ward Parish, Ibanda Town Council Subcounty, Ibanda District in the western part of Uganda , East Africa where Rt. Rev. Sheldon Mwesigwa is a former teacher.

Ms. Amanya Celia, is also a former student of kibubura and the current headmistress of the school who has informed this media website that the school was named, Kibubura Secondary School, in memory of Julia Kibubura who was the first woman in Uganda to take up a political leadership position as Gombolola (county) chief during the time of Galt, a colonial administrator. 

She died in 1905 at the hands of Rutaraka, a native of Ibanda District. The name Kibubura is derived from Runyakitara word ‘okububura’ loosely translated as ‘the roaring of a lion

In lengthy comments, Amanya said that her take home message from the book launch is that Uganda's education system through government must target raising a young generation that gets value from home because the sense of self entitlement that these young people in schools have, the generations that are looking at really becoming so entitled before they do anything, the millennium and the generations that they join need to have them developed from home. 

She adds, the values from home, understanding that they need to work for them to earn, “you have to work hard and make yourself and shape your own destiny. So I see that the more parents give the children all they need without encouraging them to work is where corruption starts. It is caused by lack of parental guidance, lack of values , moral decadence and the lack of resilience.”

When we talked to Ms. Amanya about how she nurtures the girls in kibubura to become good future leaders like the old girl Col. Edith Nakalema on how to fight against corruption, she summarized that she uses a holistic approach focused on instilling religious values, discipline, communication skills, and a well-rounded education to nurture the girls into becoming important, disciplined, and godly individuals that include:-

Instilling godliness and religious values, she emphasizes the importance of trusting in God and being near to God, which helps the girls become disciplined.

Fostering integrity and time management, the girls are taught to have integrity, discipline, and be good time managers.

Promoting communication and self-expression, the school uses English as the medium of communication, which helps the girls become confident in expressing themselves, reasoning, and doing research.

Providing well-rounded education, the girls are trained not just academically, but also in co-curricular activities like farming and maintaining the school's plantation. This helps to groom them into "courageous ladies of substance."

Emphasizing parenting and mentorship, the headmistress calls on administrators, church leaders, and other stakeholders to be involved in "parenting" the girls, guiding and nurturing them.

The State House Investors Protection Unit (SHIPU) Head and former student of kibubura girls secondary, Col.Edith Nakalema appeal to the Ministry of Education and Sports through the Permanent Secretary who was present to put more restrictions to children/students from using finances and material products to campaign for positions while at schools and other institutions of learning.

She noted, during the book launch, that nowadays students dish out a lot of money while campaigning for different positions in schools which she says must be eliminated. There is a need for collective efforts between the ministry and parents to fight against such acts to curb future possible corruption.

The Vice Chancellor Bishop Stuart University, Prof. John Mugisha commented on the background and education's Impact on Success as a take home and said that those children from good schools sometimes struggle in life, while those from less resourced schools often excel. The hardships faced by children from under-resourced schools make them more resilient and successful in life.

He however, expressed concern of children from high-class backgrounds developing a sense of entitlement, which could negatively impact Uganda's future. Limited resources can still lead to significant achievements.

Prof. Mugisha explained the importance of resilience in achieving success, noting that it is a crucial factor in overcoming life's challenges. If the trend of entitlement among high class children continues, it could jeopardize Uganda's future. There is hope for Uganda and Africa if they emphasize values, resilience, and cultural discipline over external influences, Uganda can achieve greatness despite limited resources.

Benjamin Mwibo Benjamin Mwibo is a talented, passionate and creative journalist with a commitment to high quality out put that is factual and researched. Above all Dedicated with a strong desire to identify the truth of the matter.