Schools face closure for ignoring patriotism classes

Sironko

Schools that don’t provide for patriotism lessons risk losing their licences, if a proposed law comes into force.

A new law, which compels all schools to teach patriotic education to all pupils and students is in the offing, the commissioner for National Patriotic Education in Uganda, Lt Col Henry Matsiko, has said.

Lt Col Matsiko said the law will operationalise Article 17 of the Constitution, which stipulates duties of every citizen and prescribes that each person should undergo military training.

While passing students of Masaba Secondary School after a week-long patriotism training on June 13, Lt Col Matsiko said the law intends to ensure that all Ugandans love their country at all costs.

“And any school that does not adopt the patriotic education and training will be de-licensed. Whether it is a private or government school, government will coerce it to provide for patriotic training or the head teacher will be fired,” said Lt Col Matsiko.

The RDC Sironko, Mr Mubarak Magomu, who doubles as a regional coordinator for patriotism, said they have trained and educated students on patriotism and that it was high time they moved to communities to demonstrate it and show the politicians that, it is necessary to take people to school to learn how to be patriotic

The head teacher Masaba Secondary School, Mr Ignatius Isiati, said although patriotism training is good for schools, it is very challenging because all funding is given by the school and yet it is not budgeted for.

Former Leader of Opposition Nandala Mafabi, said developing a patriotic nation does not need a law, but good leadership. “To get a patriotic country will not be through a law. It will be through a deliberate turn around in how the government does things for its people. It has to do what people expect it to do as well as work on its image and communication,” Mr Mafabi said.

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