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Dr Silver Mugisha (in white) inspects the works from the students (Photos by Bruno Mugizi)
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By Bruno Mugizi
BUSHENYI - The Managing Director of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), Eng. Dr. Silver Mugisha, has urged schools to embrace hands-on skills training through the new curriculum, saying this will help students graduate as professionals.
"When schools embrace practical teaching, students enter the workforce without many challenges," he said.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the celebration marking 30 years of the National Private Educational Institutions Association Uganda (UPEIA-U) at a function held at Bushenyi Main Stadium on Saturday, October 5, 2024. He also urged the Ministry of Education to put more emphasis on science subjects for a better future. He noted that the world now revolves around ICT, innovations, and technology, hence calling for more focus on related subjects.
"When we talk about this, it doesn’t mean that Geography and History are not important, but they are relevant only to some extent. For example, topics like 'rainlands in the Netherlands' have a lot of water, but this information isn’t as useful in Uganda," Dr. Silver explained.
Eng. Dr. Silver Mugisha is presented with a flower crafted by a student. (Photos by Bruno Mugizi)
Kilabira Hassadu, the association's chairperson, criticized the government for viewing private schools as businesses rather than institutions contributing to national development by training critical human resources. He said the more private educational institutions are taxed, the greater the burden passed on to parents in the form of high school fees, which may lead to student dropouts.
"These taxes are uncalled for because the money the government would spend on building schools is instead used for other projects, like road construction, hospitals, and electricity. Therefore, private schools are supporting the government," Kilabira said.
George Mutekanga, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of private schools and institutions at the Ministry of Education and Sports, acknowledged the challenges faced by private institutions. He said the ministry has already scheduled a national dialogue on December 3, 2024, with private institution proprietors to address their concerns.
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