Students from Hoima secondary schools have been urged to be key icons in the fight against corruption and climate change as they undergo patriotism training.
The call was made by Banabas Tugume, the Assistant Resident City Commissioner (ARCC), during the official launch of a one-week patriotism training at Kitara Secondary School in Hoima City on Wednesday evening.
Tugume noted the importance of undertaking patriotic training for young nationals, saying it helps them provide partial solutions to the country’s challenges.
The commissioner cited corruption and harsh climatic changes as key challenges facing the country, which he said call for stronger efforts to overcome.
According to him, the government continues to encounter challenges like corruption, a tendency which undermines the government’s efforts in service delivery, attributed to a lack of love for the country.
“As we take these young patriots through the training, we even tell them what they owe the country and why they should act as key change agents, especially in demoting corruption vices in the country,” he said.
Climate change is also another key aspect the ARCC urged students to take keen interest in by advocating for tree planting to promote conducive climatic conditions but also ensuring living in a clean environment.
On climate change, Uganda’s latest deforestation report, 2024, on the National State of the Environment by the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) and NEMA, shows that forest cover has decreased from 24% in 1990 to roughly 12-13% today.
Over 90% of current forest loss is driven by smallholder agricultural expansion and unsustainable fuelwood/charcoal harvesting.
It also indicates the country continues to lose over 122,000 hectares of forest land annually due to deforestation and degradation.
He also noted reasons for schools to embrace such a program, noting that since the program’s inception, a couple of issues within schools, including strikes, have been eliminated.
“It has also created strong bonds between students and administrators, thus laying a platform for students to share challenges facing them for solutions,” Tugume continued.
Patrick Zahura, the school headteacher, underscored the impacts of patriotism training on learners, saying it promotes moral discipline, love for the country, but also respect for the environment.
“Patriotism training has helped in shaping academic performance among learners due to discipline. It has also been seen that our learners can positively respond to the environment by ensuring living in a clean environment but also participating in climate change activities, including tree planting,” Zahura said.
The training is part of the government programs aimed at making Ugandans responsible citizens who can identify and accept the country’s challenges and find solutions to them.
About 571 students of senior one and senior five are participating in a one-week patriotism training at Kitara Secondary School.
Discover more from tndNews, Uganda
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
