In order to have a real impact on society, Col Emmy Katabazi the Deputy Director General of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) has called on Student leaders from secondary schools in Mbale City to adopt a PHD approach which stands for Prayer (Seeking guidance from God while leading others), Hard work and most importantly to ensure that they hold the highest standards of discipline to lead others better.
Col Katabazi made these remarks on August 1, 2024, while addressing student leaders at Nkoma Secondary School. The gathering included representatives from neighboring institutions like Mbale SS, Mbale High School, and Nkoma SS in Mbale City. These student leaders had come together for a collaborative meeting to discuss various issues and share ideas.
While addressing the student leaders, Col Katabazi urged them to prioritize intellectual discourse over violent confrontations. He called for a shift from armed struggles to battles of ideas as a means to achieve progress.
Reflecting on his own experience as a student leader at Makerere University with the Uganda National Students Association (UNSA), he highlighted significant achievements and transformative changes that were accomplished without resorting to violence.
“Being young doesn’t mean resorting to violence. At UNSA, we successfully led the removal of a whole university chancellor by presenting compelling ideas to the president, which ultimately led to the dismissal of the said Vice Chancellor. We also pioneered the establishment of Youth Members of Parliament, a previously non-existent position. Additionally, we influenced the policy to allow students to upgrade to a Bachelor’s degree after two years of post-diploma study, rather than the previous three,” said Col Katabazi.
Furthermore, he called on leaders to use their platforms to influence change in the education system which he has been frequently speaking about and calling for change. He noted that the education system brought by the colonial and neo colonial systems is meant to enslave Uganda and Africa at large.
“The education system is meant to keep us enslaved. That’s why illiterate Chinese come here and build roads, but you find Ugandan professors with lots of books who cannot build a simple road. This is why we produce what we don’t consume and consume what we don’t produce. We still wear second-hand clothes even though we produce cotton because of poor leadership. This shows the disparities between what we were taught and what we are,” said Col Katabazi.
Uganda has evolved, moving away from gunfights to battles of ideas. Colonel Katabazi recalled the formation of UNSA in 1988, aimed at challenging the colonial education system. The primary goal was to advocate for a more relevant education system, recognizing that all were impacted by its deficiencies.
In his concluding remarks, he urged student leaders to mobilize for a transformative journey, breaking free from the colonial mindset to become leaders capable of shaping a better future.
