With the reopening of schools in 2022, it has been a great excitement for parents, teachers, and students after the 2-year lock down as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the gap of 2 years, the schools kicked off the terms with the election of leaders at different levels.
A number of Primary schools around Kampala are conducting a search for Prefects and student leaders which is a good thing to nurture our kids into leadership.
The unfortunate bit about these elections in both Primary, Secondary, and institutions is that the schools have been turned into political grounds. The students are being asked by their teachers to contest on party tickets. Parties like the National Unity Platform, People Power, Democratic party, and National Resistance Movement among others are being embraced by the students.
As a parent even right away from home, I train my children to be leaders, not politicians. what these schools are doing by affiliating our children to Political parties is bad for our children. Children are being divided at an early stage instead of being helped to bond. What is even appalling is that schools do not seek consent from parents.
In a world where the parties have caused more chaos with the so much called freedom of this and that, it is a bad idea to introduce it to the young generation who should be taught to embrace brotherhood and sisterhood.
Schools like Kawempe Muslims, Kyanja Junior School, Multiple Junior School, Gospel Valley Nursery and Primary School, Global Advanced Junior School, Mwiri Primary School, and Buziga Islamic theological Institute have been submerged in aggressive campaigns that wind-swept opponents against each other.
From the conversations I have had with several parents, they expressed disappointment in the schools that are allowing the opposition leaders to plant the seeds of violence, hatred, and corruption in their children.
Children are meant to be made, to become but we can’t want them to become all the other things that are detestable and are causing these country problems. If the politics is not taken out of schools as a country, we might end up raising a violent generation and this will not add value to the country but will instead destroy it.
Recruiting underage children into partisan politics is dangerous and what is even evil is that some parents are blinded to this. Some of them are funding their children with the money to print posters, others give them money to help them to bribe their colleagues with sweets and ‘mandazi,’ what a misfortune.
I believe as a nation we need to pay attention to how we are raising the future generation. Like they say charity begins at home. Teachers need to put effort to train the children to love one another regardless of politics and also practice leadership independent of political parties.
Look at what happens in the big institutions and Universities. A good example is what happens at Universities like Makerere, Kyambogo among others. Most of the Strikes and vandalism that happen in these learning places are caused by political differences. sometimes strikes are funded by politicians. it is absurd. This usually costs the Government money to protect them and also sometimes lives are lost in the process.
I have seen posts on Twitter of our children being fronted by Political leaders in their contest for perfect positions. Davis Lewis Rubongoya proudly paraded the innocent kids on his social media platforms for the opposition agenda. This distracts the children from focusing on their education and will affect the nature of the citizens we raise in this country.
As Parents, we call upon the Government of Uganda, the Ministry of Education, and the school heads and proprietors to save our children from radical politics. Their innocence has to be protected so they are raised with better values. Politics will divide the children and if this is not stopped soon students will start murdering each other because of politics.
