They turned us into glorified users and implementers of imported technology for selfish reason and achieved their intended goal of making us net importers of solutions. However, the new Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) being rolled out is changing all this.
Before you bludgeon me to smithereens, yes, you the naysayer, I ask you to sit down read, internalise and regurgitate before you respond. Take it from me, the Competence Based Curriculum in Uganda is already doing wonders. It is the best thing that we could ever have asked for.
Last weekend, a friend went to visit her daughter at Mt. St Mary’s College Namagunga where there was a Science Exhibition by Secondary School students and when she shared her findings, I was blown away. Really blown away.
We Ugandans have a tendency of always seeking perfection and in the process fail to see the few steps of progress we are making. We always focus on looking out for what is wrong yet what is right is dangling before our very own eyes.
One thing I want to point out is the mentality the previous generations (mine inclusive) grew up with through school. We were made to focus more on cram work, memorisation and regurgitation of concepts as presented in text books. Ask us to get work done and we would tell you how we have to study until we have finished university before being expected to prove that we have any iota of knowledge within us. Stupid, isn’t it?
If you dropped out of school in S2 then, you would be rendered knowledge-less and unskilled and this was such an unfair condemnation to us. Today, with the change in curriculum, the shortcomings we faced are going to be history.
Below are just some of the project that the secondary school students demonstrated at Namagunga and to me they are a game changer.
Kidney Dialysis Machine: Kidney dialysis is one of the most expensive treatments one can access in this country and happens to be in very limited supply. The few machines we have are all imported. These students made a demo machine that can undertake Kidney dialysis. In the spirit of innovation, this is one of those initiatives the Government of Uganda could take up and support just like it did to the motor vehicle project by Kiira Motors that is now turning into a financial blackhole.
I know the purist armchair medical technologists could easily start dissing this demo by making all sorts of claims as to why it cannot work on the market. However, instead of being sold out to the imports you have become accustomed to, join these students, learn from their zeal and top up their limited knowledge with your theory. We could see better.
Electricity Generation using urine: The students developed a system that utilises human urine to generate electricity and were even able to demonstrate it for the visitors. They utilised knowledge that some of you may claim is basic but the difference here is their going a step ahead to put it into use. This is something that can be commercialised. Urine is a product any family poor or rich produces in abundance. Wouldn’t this at least guarantee lighting in homes? With further development, a community could collect it and generate much more power to enable households utilise it for more demanding tasks. Do you feel me?
Rat Rearing: During the COVID 19 pandemic, you recall the Government importing rats to be used in covid vaccine research at a cost of UGX 8 Million Each. Apparently they wanted to purchase 4 rats and multiply them. To-date, we have no idea how far this multiplication process has reached.
These students are able to reproduce rats for use in medical research and even have the ability to supply them at a commercial level with each rat going for UGX 100,000/= (compare with Musenero’s rats of 8 Million). Once again, with their brains and innocence, they are showing their so called highly educated but corrupted parents that they can deliver at a very friendly cost compared to the obscene inflation that has become synonymous with public service procurement. Our silliness is being exposed by the innocence of these youngins. What a shame!!!
Menstrual Hygiene: This issue is a very serious obstacle to the girl child and her quest for education. Those of you reading this who have no experience seeing how many access education in rural areas will find it hard to believe that accessing menstrual pads for any woman in rural areas is as difficult as the average urbanite going to Serena Hotel for a meal. These students were able to design a reusable pad utilising local materials and this is another very good effort of putting knowledge to proper use while addressing local solutions. The likely impact if popularised is to enable more girls to stay longer in school.
Xray Machine: The students made an Xray machine that has been used to detect cancer in rats. Surely, wouldn’t such an effort deserve a portion of the innovation funds that the Government is splashing out to nonviable projects? Like the Covid Vaccine?
Remote Controlled Car: Students from Ntare did demonstrate the operation of a car that they had designed which can be remote controlled and has sensors that enable it avoid flipping off the table it was moving on. This is a good first step towards seeing them get deeper into robotics and AI.
Organic Herbicides: The students utilise plant material to make herbicides that are quite effective. They are rocking a table with expensive drinks because I think their venture into such if popularised will kill market for those that are glued to the importation of anything foreign that is a herbicide including those that are very deadly for our very existence. I know our PHD wielding researchers are usually cagey to venture into research on Organic Agriculture solutions but these children are showing us the way. They give me hope in a non donor reliance approach to offer local solutions for local problems. All they need is sustained guidance. Recently, I actually came across an S2 student from Bukedi College Kachongha in Butaleja district who had also developed an organic herbicide as his project at school. Deep!!! Isnt’t it?
Organic Pesticide: Once again, the students are challenging the distaste by our overly funded research institutions by coming up with Organic Fertilizer. Utilising material like Neem Tree Leaves, Ash, Mint, Tobbaco, garlic among others, they were able to develop a very potent pesticide.
Today, eating vegetables is such a high risk in Uganda due to the misuse of pesticides and herbicides during growth. However, going organic could help us be guaranteed of disease free food.
Organic Fertilizer: Using Chicken droppings, Silver Fish, Dry banana peels, saw dust and maize bran all readily available local materials, they formulated an organic fertilizer. Again, putting to shame the feeble efforts being made by their allegedly more knowledgeable elders to propagate the use of such local materials in order to enable import substitution.
What are the key observations in all this?
- Today’s students are being empowered with practical knowledge and skills from the word go.
- They are not only gaining scientific knowledge and skills but also benefiting from the mindset change. They are now solution thinkers.
- The students are clearly focusing on local problems in order to come up with solutions. This shall in turn address the Balance of Trade issues of the country putting it in our favour.
- The students are already in position to become participants in the economic production processes.
- They are being positioned to change the narrative of how this country should be run.
This is a wakeup call to all the naysayers. Let us support the new Competence Based Curriculum if we want to see this country get better. You may choose to be pessimistic but do not discourage those willing to alk the journey that shall see us get to the promised land.
What is your take?
James Wire
Business Consultant
X- @wirejames
Threads- @wire_james
The Wire Perspective 