By Apn
apearlnews.com
I have learnt with joy that most of our schools have already got their UCE results that were released earlier today.
I already know that we have a reasonable number of these passing in Division one and two. This is great news for us as a community.
I wish to thank the teachers, parents, and the young people themselves for working hard and tirelessly so, to ensure that they make us proud.
We have a duty as a generation to build on these great realities to propel our schools to even better standards. We definitely have where to begin from.
To the young people that just received their results today, I wish to share my experience with you.
14 years ago, I was having my O’level vacation in Karweru, of course in Ndorwa East Constituency. I had got an opportunity to work as a support casual worker (Porter) at Maziba Catholic Church, as the current church structure was being constructed. I enjoyed being introduced to manual labor, mixing mortar and concrete, and ferrying the same. The news of our results then came in, and the next two days I was on the bus to Kampala to prepare for my next Education move. We had struck a deal with my Auntie that I was joining Ggaba Primary Teachers College.
We later learned that I had performed well, and some of our friends thought that my good grades were not to be taken to the PTC.
In a twist and turn of events, I secured myself a place in A level to study History, Economics, Religious Studies, and Literature in English. It is here that my life sort of made a 360 degrees turn, and ultimately changed. And like they always say, the rest is history.
Why am I sharing this my personal story!? At your age, probably 16-18 years of age, there is a lot that goes on around you, especially in relation to your destiny and the decisions you and your caretakers make at this particular moment. I can imagine the excitement you have after receiving your results and I know what is running on in your mind.
But make no mistake to get over-excited because this has a bearing on the decisions you and your caretakers will make as a result of your performance here.
It is important to appreciate that this level you have achieved is only a beginning point in your career life because the next level is going to be a bit more specialized. You now must choose between being either a scientist or an artist, but whichever path you choose to depend on your performance here doesn’t matter because I have grown to appreciate that what matters is how you interact with the environment and that is really what makes a difference.
I hope that you have used your long O’level vacation to learn a few non-academic chores that will help you in your next steps of life.
To those that have performed not so well, it is not the end of the world. I know you are now receiving proposals from close people to go back and repeat the class so as to perform better next time. I don’t buy into that and I would not encourage you to go repeating class so as to get better grades. You can get better elsewhere using what you have got and there are a number of options available. Talk to the right people.
In a special way, I wish to congratulate the staff, candidates, and parents in our secondary schools in Ndorwa East. Thank you for working hard and excelling under the circumstances. I have learned that many of our young people have passed in Division One, and this makes us proud.
As a humble citizen from Kigarama, I can get tired of telling you that Education is the only equalizing factor in this our society that is so divided between the *haves and the have-nots*. May you continue working hard and smart so we can have great responsible citizens in you in the near future.
In our efforts, we shall continue to explore avenues for making Education more relevant and affordable for most especially in our hard-to-reach areas.
We shall continue to lobby our friends to ensure that we can come in where we can to support young people, especially in Ndorwa East, to have a great Educational experience.
I once again congratulate our people on this milestone and I wish you the very best.
Remember, what matters is not how many aggregates you have got, it is not where you are going next, what actually matters now is how you are going to handle yourself wherever you are going next.
I bring you greetings from Kigarama!
Alexander KyokwijukaHumble Citizen, Kigarama, Ndorwa East
