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I wonder what would happen to Uganda if all of us dared
Benjamin Rukwengye
What you need to know:
...half the time, we are hopping from one crisis to another, often caused by people who have gotten into decision-making positions because of everything else but merit
I recently started a weekly Twitter/X Space, hosted every Thursday evening, to discuss all things education. The idea is to get parents, experts, innovators, investors, leaders, students, and everybody with an (educated) opinion on education in the same (virtual) room. As a result, I will share bits of the conversations from the space in this column, for those who miss the conversations.
Last week’s conversation was a deep dive into the different curriculums on the market. It wasn’t a comparison of what’s better than the other, but an understanding of what each one offers, to help parents and benefactors make more informed decisions. To guide the conversation, we had Mr. Umar Kasasa, Deputy Headteacher of Taibah International Schools, and head of their Cambridge section, Dr. Ann Mugunga of Netzah International School, which uses the ACE curriculum, Ruth Nanteza Ssebagala-Senyonjo, who is the Team Leader of Education and Sports at Watoto Childcare Ministries, and an avid educator, and Julius Bainomugisha, at teacher of English and Literature a Namilyango College.
The inaugural one, hosted at the start of February, delved into what considerations one must make when deciding what school to enroll their child into. We hosted Audrey Dralega, who is a venerated expert on educational matters. My co-host, Dinah Achola, is herself, an emerging leader in the education space and offers insights that ensure that the conversation stays above the muddle that is characteristic of emotive public-spirited discourse.
As a consequence, I know that there is no such thing as a perfect school. That when it comes to it, money is the key determinant. But even then, one must consider things such as how much time is dedicated to out-of-classroom activities, what values and ethos the school propagates and how they are transferred, the student-to-teacher ratio, diets, and the state of facilities such as washrooms, dormitories, and kitchen.
Why am I telling you all this? Two key reasons. The first is because I hope that you too will find inspiration and dare yourself to do whatever it is that you have always wanted to do. It is still really early days into the new year.
This is something I had always wanted to do but just never got around to it. I was either busy, scared, or unsure of how and where to start, noncommittal, overthinking it, or worried if I would make it work. Until I decided to do it anyway.
So I am hoping that you will start and find out if that idea you have been nursing for months is really it. Some of those who have listened in have texted to say, “Thank you. We have been yearning for something like this.” I am also certain that there will be bad days but isn’t that what life is? So, I am hoping that you will give yourself a shot because if you don’t do it now then when?
The second reason is because there is an overabundance of analysis on what is wrong but very little on what can be done to fix it. From roads to hospitals to schools, to doing business to whatever is irking every Ugandan every day, there is too much complaining – justifiably. But what if we also dwelt on solutions as well, seeing as we seem to know what the problem is?
And that is what these conversations are intent on achieving. What happens when you get the right people in the room and ask them what they would do to solve a problem like the one we know our education system is? My guess is everyone will come out wiser and a little more informed about the decisions that they (need to) take.
Uganda is short of many things but it is not short of experts who know what to do and how to do it. But that can be lost on us because half the time, we are hopping from one crisis to another, often caused by people who have gotten into decision-making positions because of everything else but merit. We cannot ignore them because they are like a perpetual itch that just never goes away.
But what we can do is amplify the work and voices of those who are creating and working their socks off to move the needle. If many of us do this, we just might build a critical mass of the right kind of human resource and have it deployed where it must
Mr Rukwengye is the founder, Boundless Minds
