Prime
Janet cautions schools against harmful practices
Ms Janet Museveni, the First Lady and Minister of Education, arrives for the Acholi Students’ Leaders Youth Summit at Sacred Heart Secondary School in Gulu City last Friday. PHOTO | JESUS OKELLO OJARA
What you need to know:
- Ms Museveni made the remarks while closing the first Acholi Students’ Leaders Youth Summit at Sacred Heart Secondary School at Obiya Ward, Bardege-Layibi Division in Gulu City last Friday.
The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Ms Janet Museveni, has warned teachers and students in secondary schools in northern Uganda against adopting vices and acts that promote harmful behaviour.
Ms Museveni made the remarks while closing the first Acholi Students’ Leaders Youth Summit at Sacred Heart Secondary School at Obiya Ward, Bardege-Layibi Division in Gulu City last Friday.
The summit was organised by the Organisation of First Ladies for Development in partnership with the Uganda Aids Commission.
“Stay alert, knowing that there are those who may try to infiltrate our educational institutions to promote vices and impose negative influences on our children such as teaching what is labelled human rights while ignoring responsibility,” Ms Museveni said.
The minister cautioned students against using technology to spread sexual immorality.
“Be mindful of the fact that globalisation channelled through the media has the power to shape you. Do everything in your means to resist the devil’s agenda to control and manipulate you through these negative influences of the media and modern-day technology,” she said.
“The media can corrupt your mind through the promotion of vices that can derail you from focusing on your studies and life goals. You must, therefore, exercise caution and wisdom in your usage of the media,” she added.
Earlier, while addressing education stakeholders from Acholi Sub-region, which included head teachers, resident district commissioners, educationists, religious leaders and security at Gulu State Lodge, Ms Museveni decried the lack of patriotism in schools.
“If head teachers become patriotic and love our country, no school will look as desperate as many of our schools look. If you ask anybody, everybody will say they have no money but it does not take only money to do things if you care to give time to the work you do,” Ms Museveni said.
Poor parenting
The minister added that poor parenting has resulted in many children spending a lot of time on the Internet, which has in some cases led to them adopting bad habits.
“Today, the parents are not there for their children. They have no time for their children, the children are just growing up like trees, with no guidance, with nobody guiding them on what to do,” she said.
At the meeting, the head teachers resolved to pass ordinances on education to emphasize the role and involvement of all stakeholders in education and nurture future generations.
They said the ordinances will empower them to train and sensitise parents on value-based parenting skills as well as consolidate efforts in fighting, and addressing child abuse, school dropouts and unethical teachers.
