Last Updated on: 26th July 2023, 01:17 pm
Kampala I President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a lover of science-related subjects (and scientists) but often makes his speeches and statements with a bigger proportion of history tales and backgrounds.
Known by many as a man with high knowledge of history – with specific focuses on Uganda and Africa’s past and present affairs, the 78-year-old President says his government won’t support art subjects or students studying those courses.
He has described those courses, arts (humanity) as “useless” and responsible for high level of unemployment in Uganda.
This decision has left arts teachers “suffocating with little pay” while those teaching sciences from secondary to the universities continue to receive “fat” salaries.
Because of this disparity, Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) party is not happy.
In a statement on Wednesday, July 26, the head of media and communications at UPC, Fazio Muzeyi says, “For some time now, the government is moving in with affirmative measures of promoting sciences over arts studies, which has seen science teachers getting a boost of their salaries and allowances that is believed to improve welfare as well as job retention.
“The drive for science and technology always gets more impetus by H. E. Yoweri. K. Museveni at public functions. Although UPC welcomes this great windfall towards scientists, the Party has been keenly following and is very much concerned that this policy is not good for the country.
“The Party is aware that medical doctors, nurses, midwives and laboratory technicians are very few in our hospitals and health centres. Yet many remain unemployed! This puts the government in a quagmire situation to convince the public that sciences are the way to go with that type of a record,” adds Faizo.
Faizo further says Uganda’s health sector has registered “a number of strikes”.
“Recently, the same ministry announced that medical interns will start financing themselves. UPC discouraged this perilous move and such issues have to be addressed. The government should ensure that science professionals are fully utilised alongside other professions and trades.
UPC, he says, is “cautioning the government to go slow on the decision of promoting sciences at the expense of art studies as it needs a close study before implementation”.
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“What is much needed now is an integrated learning approach at all levels as studies complement each other and build a balanced mind with skills from both sciences and arts, which offers a rich opportunity for specialization along the background of an integrated approach.”
At this time, the head of media notes that the government is having a huge army of unemployed youths with special skills. “This simply means we need to ensure that our economy continues to expand and absorb our various human resources without difficulty.
“The three arms of government operate very well when they integrate science and technology in their work. The judiciary, for instance, has a pool of magistrates and judges who are arts-based because of their studies in law, but now, most countries are upgrading the judiciary to the usage of science and technology in handling court sessions/cases.
“Once the approach is integrated, the judiciary shall stand to benefit a lot. This comes at a time when we are having a backlog of court cases and our education system should roll out more and more lawyers to man the situation. This can be possible when a conscious program is in place. Justice delayed is justice denied.
At the end of the day, no country performs better than her education system. So, the earlier Uganda implements an integrated education system the better for the future in a globalized world, UPC tells the government.