70 for national schools championship
Some of the students who will participate in the competition at the launch in Kampala last week. PHOTO BY SHABIBAH NAKIRIGYA
More than 70 secondary schools are set to participate in the National Schools Championship to kick off this month under the theme; “empowering the job creators of tomorrow”.
Speaking at the launch of the fourth edition in Kampala last week, Japheth Katto, the board chairman Stanbic Bank, said the main aim of the challenge was to empower students and teachers to start their own businesses and become job creators.
“Youth unemployment is a serious problem that unfortunately continues to plague many African countries. This has forced us to start this challenge so that youth get a chance to start their own small business after school,” he said.
Katto added that it is, therefore, imperative that they ensure this young population is participating productively for the good of our country’s economy.
Representatives from each of the 72 schools will converge for a weeklong boot camp along with patron teachers in which there will be a number of activities to fully engage and transform the participants including oral quizzes, debates and business planning activities.
To Barbara Kasekende, head of corporate social Investment Stanbic Bank, there is need to empower young people to be able to participate in the economy despite their level of education.
“As a bank, we use this competition as a platform to impart financial literacy and life skills to these students so that they can become job creators rather than job seekers,” she said.
This year the target is to reach 72 schools from across the country’s four regions and 21,600 students compared to last year’s 60 schools and 6,000 students. Since its inception in 2016, more than 180 secondary schools have participated in the competition.
The overall winner will walk away with a fully paid trip to South Africa and an ipad, while the school gets a fully installed solar system worth Shs20m and the teachers will get a fully paid trip to South Africa and a cash prize of Shs1.5m.
