In a meeting held in Maracha District headquarter on 14-9-2022 which was attended by the officials from SESIL organization, officials from Ministry of Education, RDC, Deputy RDC, DISO, DPC, LC V, Speaker, Councillors and various stakeholders in the District, the State Minister for Primary Education Hon Kaducu thanked Strengthening Education Systems for Improved Learning (SESIL), a UK funded NGO with offices across Uganda for funding some education institutions in the Country.
Below here are excerpts ✍ from the speech of Minister Joyce Moriku Kaducu 👇👇👇👇
The RDC, LC V, all our elected leaders, commissioner, the security personnel, our delegates from the headquarters that is overseeing the project, all of you invited because of your capacity because of the importance your touch to this program, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the minister in charge of primary education and I am the daughter of the soil donors gives me happiness whenever I am in a region, because it is my duty my obligation to add value to see to it that move to another level as a region.
So I am here as the daughter of the soil and I'm also here as the person directly responsible and custodian of primary education in the country. I want to thank my government, for the role that we play in the education of our children. And I come along with the greetings from the first lady who is the Minister of Education. She's always so dear to matters pertaining education of our children. The youth are always close to her heart, and she passed her regards. It's always a wish to see the children of this country moving to one level to another. So receive our greetings and those of my colleagues at the ministry. Today we are here ladies and gentlemen for specific reason not PDM it's not issues that we come to talk about fireworks. But today we've come on a very good note. We are here because of education of our children. We all know that education is the fundamental right. That is embedded in the Constitution. When you look at article 30 It talks about education as a right. So it's the right we cannot argue about it and it is a pillar for us to transform Maharaja. For us to transform West Nile and the entire country. We need education for our people and the children. For us to realize growth and development of a region of our district of the country. We need to invest in human capital development, which is in education for us to eliminate poverty. To see this grass touch houses that we have all over in West Nile we need to invest in the education of our people. And for that matter, education is a shared responsibility. The act of education of 2008 indicated clearly it's a shared responsibility meaning government has got a role to play. Parents have got a huge role to play. Stakeholders have got a role to play. And that's why we are bringing on this platform that shared responsibility. The role of the parents the role of the community, the role of the government and everybody on the same platform. Today we are here because of what we call community led learning. This is a strategy that was put in place with support from UK aid. The government of UK really taught ways to support the Minister of Education to ensure despite of closure of learning institutions, learning process continues. We have to bring on board innovative methods in methods that can allow our children to study regardless of clausal scores. And for that matter, allow me to pass our appreciation honestly to the UK, really, for supporting the ministry to ensure that we strengthen the education system for better learning outcomes through community led learning. Thank you. Thank you.
Unknown
Maracha has been chosen. Actually, the program is in West Nile and some districts in Western Uganda and not every district in West Nile. We have Maracha, Arua district, Madi Okollo, Arua city, Terego District, Adjumani, Obongi and Moyo.
Unknown
Then we have districts in eastern Uganda. And we are hoping to roll this across. This year in July, we had a meeting with the First Lady who is the Minister of Education and sports. And I'm happy the team presented this strategy to the minister and all of us. It was discussed it was evaluated it was the better approach to learn better learning outcome and of course from the from the host Smouse that is the Minister of Education. She appreciated the program and it is our wish that this rolls out in the entire country would tie so we are choosing as marcha district. We all know matches Murata district is among the best the SC five chairman has just told us. We were the best in the districts in the West Nile probably will add the best among the worst in Uganda, isn't it? Yes, we might be the best but among the worst regions in Uganda, and I'm not afraid to tell you. My commissioner is here, West Nile or Northern Uganda and Eastern Uganda. These are the regions that is putting us to work with our heads down in terms of results outcome in terms of performance. So West Nile cannot run away from this. Even among the municipalities in the last period a result? A rural municipality is among the least including koboko and it may be all the most polities in West Nile. The performance is not up to the level we expected. So for that matter, we are chosen. And importantly, we all know the poverty in this region. Really we cannot overemphasize if we want to do away with that. We must improve in the learning outcome our children must remain in school. A completion rate of 12% that is really alarming. If I were you in this room I should walk with my head down. It is shameful. 88% of our children drop out of school and we still call ourselves leaders and we still work with our heads up and we feel proud of our education system. What the hell we are carrying. It's not good at all. Our children are involved in manual laborers for period. Whenever you send a message, there is a call. They need the youth to go and work in some factory labor man who are laborers to roll roll wheelbarrows to run to the Sudha plantation to go and Cut cut cut to run and do this other dirty work which other people are not doing. That is what our West Native Indian youth are doing. Are we proud of that. They drop out of school. We should all feel ashame number two, our children are involved in eating Mira Mira. Can I tell you unbelievable story. I was in a movie on Friday in one of the schools in my district and I'm not afraid to tell you pay three boys I involved in eating me. Pay three, not even six. They were given money to go and take photograph for registration process of NIDA for the children. This is the period that we want all children to be registered. And the children we are given money to go and take photograph 10,000 And that photographs were 2500 a picture ticket. So the balance was used a group of four boys in p3 there to sit and plan strategically how much will go for chewing gum how much will go to buy Mira how much will then distribute among themselves to me.
Unknown
This is the level at which our children have reached and that's why you see rom pan sprites in West Nile. Why? Because they go with those things. In school. Your check in that suitcase you think they have put it today or why you're wasting your time. Remove their stocking, check what is hidden in that stocking. Let them remove the stools. Let them remove areas that you least expect that they have hidden those things there. They have gone to school. And when they take it, they are now heaven on earth. Courageous to do anything to the teachers to the school administrators even to the police officers. They become wild. So that's why in the world country, waste knife is known for strikes in secondary school. We need to rise up as leaders. It is time for us to rise up Mystara disease that is the fact these children are not doing strikes for nothing we need to investigate more. And if that is what we are going to end up with. How are we going to expect fundamental change in the region? No. All these efforts we are putting from primary as they reach secondary school that is the end of them anyway, there is a lot that we need to do together. So I want to challenge you. It's not about presenting I know my to very intelligent presentation and Foxy presenting, but they are painting they are really something to worry us saying want us really as leaders, not only Manager I'm just we're just here in America, but it's the entire region. Its entire region. So this approach is community led. We are involving the community in the learning process of our children. We are involving the parents as the Commissioner said, and senior vice chairman in the village is supposed to take stock and have a register of every single child in that village and a child who is this school boy. But if our else does do that, if the leaders take church shall we be having all this rampart teenage pregnancy broke out to schools, child violence, Allah marriages defilements No. There is a weak supervision and there is a loose end somewhere which we must start from the community. And this approach matches it was during COVID I believe. It has come at a time that we can scale it to another level for the involvement of the community and ownership they should own it. This is their project. They get involved in the learning of their children for sustainability. That's why we're starting in the district. We moved the sub County we move to the village to see how they're doing. So I want us all to own this because education is a shared responsibility. Don't point finger all at the ministry. The minister is alone. The commissioner is only one but every village has a leader. Every district has the leadership. So let's work together as the team. It's a shared responsibility. We do our part. Everybody should do his or her part. So as I said, this project is to build a solid foundation. For this primary shooter. That is the foundation basic education is about building a fundamental strong foundation of education in the lives of these children. That's why we're encouraging ll early childhood learning, primary learning so that by the time this child goes in secondary education, there is a change of mindset towards education. This child gets responsible citizens when she grows bigger. So let's think about really embracing this strategy. And I want to be like that is see I hope we are translating all this paperwork into practical work on the ground.
Unknown
I hope it is not just roses presentations here. But I hope the reality is changing fundamental lifestyle of our children. The outcome in terms of numeracy. In terms of literacy. These are the two critical areas we're looking at. Is this child able to read and write and this child add some numbers and it is focusing p one p two p three. And the beauty is that we all know P one, two p three, we use a lot of the local language, but are we able to embrace that program to read and write we are going to prove because we are going to die feel some of us are Thomas's until you see that there is a change, it cannot remain on paper. So we are going there to see. So I think that is the most important aspect. I'm happy that our leaders have really spoken about it. And it is my great hope that we all rally behind and embrace the learning we all want to see a better future for our people. We do not want to see us living in a glass touch houses for ages. If you bought to some districts, which I did not want to mention of course it's not something he did. You won't see anything like house permission is that true? Mr. This is true. But move in and go to my district. We are living in grass touch houses, year in year out. Every year women have to go and cut grass which grass is getting out of circulation. So it is a high time we need to invest in this children and they want to have this fundamental change in our community. Not to keep on dropping out to go and do justice jobs which cannot take anywhere at the business where district of business known Yes, we are business hub. But let's first educate these children to do business better. But when they drop out they start selling tobacco at the tender age. Which business will they no no. Let them study business how to administer business so that they fly and get things and collaborate with others in other words, so when we talk about education and West Nile It pains I speak because it's the way I come from and I cannot be alone I need more to come in my footsteps. I am What are young because of education. And when we see the young one getting wasted. It's so painful. So ladies and gentlemen, I hope you understand me when I speak with passion. It's painful to see our daughters not moving farther. Anyway, the teenage pregnancy issue. The good news is that the Minister of Education who is the First Lady has really launched a national program to fight this vise. She has launched a program nationwide. For us all to realize there is a problem. Our girls are getting pregnant. They are getting married early. There is child event defilement. There are issues with violence. We want to promote better parenting. So Mama is going to have regional launch. Each region she's going to reach there in person. This month she will be Eastern Region. Thereafter we plan for her to come to Western region to northern region. I don't know whether West Nile will cover or set be separate from the northern, but she's going to speak to all of us about this vise. So as he comes let's try to do our part and pray as much as possible to allow our girls who have gotten pregnant to give the second opportunity second chance for them to come back to school.
Unknown
Last but not least, we as the ministry are equally launching environmental protection. The climate change is real. It's affecting all of us. And we stand a better challenge as Ministry of Education to ensure US schools embrace tree planting activities. We want all our children to plant trees. And I want to say that Mama as well is going to launch this and it will designate specific weeks for children to plant trees and we'll see how best to get the seedlings such that we promote tree planting will promote environmental conservation in our region because much as their local trees in Maharajah but we still do not have really adequate we want all schools to plant trees and even in your homes. We need to plant a tree. Another issue is the school registration. This is real. We want our children all to be registered all the names and unique numbers in the computer so that the Oh will not tell us in America we have a 6640 pupils. It's a matter of just clicking in the computer and confirming if what you're saying is true because every single child will be registered we'll have like an ID. So that scores that probably raise the number of children who will qualify. There are schools that might not even capture all the children that one also we can offer. So I want to encourage you the leaders ensure every child is registered. If you miss out time will come the child can easily miss PE yes, we need that unique number more very important for SR one SR two because of the new lower secondary curriculum. We need that number for the assessment. We need it for the exams we need it for their final exams. So registration is very important. Let's embrace it so that everybody every child is registered. So as we really wind up this activity today, I was is to speak. But for people who have ears My message is clear. It is time for us to wake up from sleep. To think about educating our people. worst night wake up. If we are sleeping. It is time for us to wake up and walk with our heads up. Let's educate our children. And also my DPC is here I know but sometimes people fear arresting, but I think time will come when people don't listen who may be forced to do those unwanted activities. If we over release our children away from school without completing school to go for those really jobs when they have not finished the cycle of education. We may have to fail hard time will come when we have to address the family because you're killing the future of Murata you're killing the future Westside. So it's it's a pity but we need to think why it's inspira DC. I'm very grateful. So it's really a pity that I have to speak in such a way because sometimes our ears I think they are blocked. We we hear but doesn't we don't internalize. But as West Nile us, let's wake up from that slip, embrace the education, transform our place. And I'm happy most of these leaders are West Nile and it's been easy from here. Yes. So if you see your place different from Why is the commissioner is the here one time we are analyzing purely. Why is it that the Western Uganda or the central Uganda is having better score than in the northern under instead, we should ask ourselves why? What is the difference? The children are all intelligent they're all created given the Wisdom. They sometimes underage their potential but these are human beings created by God's image. Why are they performing poorly? And why are our schools always rampant on strikes? As compared to schools? Have you ever had schools in Western Uganda? going on strike?
Unknown
Have we ever had it? Even central Uganda not there Yeah, not even Northern Uganda apart from very few in in Julie land. One or two. But the rest are here in this band, Madame de they are preparing to go on strikes. Our boys on budget this one's here is the school here. They are preparing to go on strike. Let's open up our eyes. Instead, DPC, ears should be on the ground they have gone with the Marungi in schools. They may alarm is everywhere. So they want to go on strike. Moreover, this is the last. This is the third term that they have to enter to the next level, a term for PLE, UCE and UACE.
Finally, we don't encourage issues of increasing school fees in the middle of the year. If we're told we have schools in March in West Nile that does that that is the poor planning scores plan at the beginning of the year. They translate to activities and they attach the budget to that and they roll it out the release scheduler to the parents. But when you wake up in the night and say I'm increasing school fees I'm adding here. Honestly, you're disorganizing the parent in the middle of that so the best is your plan for the whole year. And you issue circular according to the plan, and in the event the parent cannot afford to do not encourage you to stand away that child that is a future the future Minister of tomorrow. Let the child stay at school plan with the parent. The parent makes a commitment and spread this money in installments.
If I can get this month next time and until I complete I committed to do so. There's always some way of negotiation of dialogue. Other than chiseling away the child from school would not encourage that. As Minister of Education and sports. We encourage dialogue. We encourage involving parents why CCL is there.
We want parents to be part of managing education system. They have a stake so that they get to know what is happening in school. They participate and eventually you talk with them how to manage the school fees. I want to thank you all and may God bless you!
For God and My Country.
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