The Ugandan government has announced a renewed programme aimed at promoting discipline, patriotism, national identity, and responsibility among young people. Commissioner of the National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps (NSPC), Hellen Seku, stated that all Senior Six vacists will undergo patriotism training at NALI, Kyankwanzi, for about six months. This programme is set to begin this year, as agreed upon with President Museveni.
The training programme, which was previously implemented, brought students and other Ugandans together at Kyankwanzi for ideological and patriotism training. According to Ms. Seku, not only will Senior Six vacists be required to undergo the training, but also patrons, coordinators, teachers, and head teachers who have not undergone patriotism training will be required to undertake refresher courses. This move aims to inculcate good norms and values among learners.
The announcement was made at Immaculate Heart Girls’ Secondary School Nyakibale in Rukungiri District, where over 1,700 students from four institutions completed a week-long patriotism training programme. The students, who were drawn from Immaculate Heart Girls’ Secondary School Nyakibale, Karoli Lwanga Institute of Health Sciences, Kinyasano Girls’ High School, and Makobore High School, underwent ideology sessions, early morning drills, and parades.
One of the head teachers who attended the event, Gadgar Kibayo Arinitwe of Makobore High School, recalled undergoing a similar programme at Kyankwanzi in 1993. He stated that the lessons acquired during the training continued to influence his outlook on life decades later. The students who completed the programme cited discipline, Kiswahili, and resilience as some of the key takeaways from the training.
According to Ms. Seku, the NSPC has been mandated to reach students in higher institutions of learning and young people working in the informal sector. The training programme covered various areas, including security and ideological patriotism, national identity, discipline, HIV/AIDS awareness, transformative discipline, Pan-Africanism, patriotism, and political history.
The students, in a memorandum presented by Mercy Okuyangabire, Speaker of the Students’ Council at Immaculate Heart Girls’ School Nyakibale, stated that the programme had taught them to become more responsible, disciplined, and patriotic citizens. They also highlighted the use of Kiswahili during parades and army songs as one of the notable aspects of the programme.
Ms. Seku urged the students to protect the country, work hard, and maintain discipline as they pursue their education and prepare for employment. She also challenged health workers and teachers to regard their professions as forms of patriotic service. The programme was facilitated by senior officers from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), professional lecturers, and NSPC coordinators under the State House.
Key points
- All Senior Six vacists in Uganda will undergo mandatory patriotism training at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi for about six months.
- The training programme aims to inculcate good norms and values among learners, promoting discipline, patriotism, national identity, and responsibility among young people.
- The programme will also cover areas such as security and ideological patriotism, national identity, discipline, HIV/AIDS awareness, and Pan-Africanism.
