Teaches his students to care for the environment

Osward Byamugisha (3rd left) after his school won the recycling competition. Courtesy Photo

The popularity of environmental education is increasingly growing all around the world. Uganda has particularly shown great interest in impacting future generations an effective environmental education programme.

The various elements of this programme focus on teaching pupils and teachers basic ecology and encourages them to use the knowledge they have gained to take action to help the environment. The aim is to achieve an increase in knowledge, a positive change in attitude and a responsible behaviour.

Last year, soft drink manufacturers, Coca-Cola started a ‘Recycle and Win’ competition for secondary schools in line with their annual grassroots football competition, the Copa Coca-Cola Schools Cup, ahead of this year’s finals that concluded in Jinja in May.

The programme is part of the company’s wider commitment to impact behaviour change in relation to plastic disposal. The initiative is aimed at cultivating a behaviour change not only amongst the students, but the community as well.

Schools that collected the most plastic waste during the duration of the football tournament were rewarded with revamped pitches. The schools were also given a cheque based on the amount collected.

Inspiration
Osward Byamugisha is the champion teacher. Working as a games master and hostel teacher, he has been at Kanyabwangu SS for the last three years as the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) teacher.

Attracted by the prospects of winning and being able to earn something extra, Byamugisha mobilised his 360 students, a decision that brings him pride to date.

Yet teaching is not in his family. All his five siblings are not attracted to teaching.

“I am the only teacher. The other siblings work as record assistants. But I loved teaching because teachers make the real change. I was attracted to the career as a child because I saw teachers being respected by everyone in the community,” Byamugisha said.

Born in a family of seven on August 16, 1991 in Makiro village in Kanungu District, Byamugisha is the third born. He always wanted to make an impact.

Better world
Kanyabwanga is found in a remote Rift Valley area in Mitooma with Nyandago and Kanyabwanga the major trading centres. He moved to the area, an estimated four-hour commute, to seek green pastures. He spent most of his life in Kanungu where he started school at Kihihi Progressive Primary School before going to San Giovanni SS Makiro in Kanungu. He earned his Bachelor’s in ICT from Kabale University.

Participating in the Recycle and Win campaign was a way for him to play a part in making the world waste-free. He also knew that he needed something extra since for every kilogramme collected, they received Shs500.

“Had it not been this initiative, all this waste would be in our environment. But I am happy that it showed me a new role I could play as an agent of change. I never knew many people would be attracted to this cause. Step by step the environment can be cleaned,” he said.

Now tasked with passing on the knowledge, Byamugisha feels his achievement can inspire his fellow teachers.

“My students are very excited and very motivated because they see me as a role model, maybe an example because when learnt we were champions, they got ideas in their minds. They say, ‘I am a Ugandan like my teacher, so if I put in effort like my teacher, maybe I will get noticed’,” he says.

Ambitious
His passion though remains ICT. “I joined ICT for adventure of technology in the digital world.
The current efforts of digitising the world call for application of ICT. In fact I wanted to take ICT as a single subject at college. Now I can do more research,” he says.

His heart still bleeds for that time he will be enrolled on the government payroll. “As private teachers who are yet to access the government payroll, we get little pay and such things demotivate us,” Byamugisha says.

Friendly
Byamugisha’s approach is based on building an environment of community amongst his learners. He is a hands-on teacher who gets involved in all activities.

“Since I am a young teacher of 28 years of age, I make sure my communication is clear to ensure that I get things right while developing confident learners,” he says.

As an ICT teacher, Byamugisha is confident he can play an integral role in boosting environmental education.

“Learning about the environment at the local level helps to build and blend people’s participation and promote a sustainable approach,” he said.

While the impact of the award that came with a smart phone, laptop and 42-inch television set excites him already, Byamugisha believes he still has a bigger role to play as an individual.

“I will continue helping clean my environment. I may never win but I must see a cleaner world,” he said.