President Museveni urges girls to choose science for employment
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called for girls to be guided to choose science and ICT-related subjects to enhance their employability in the future.
The president’s remarks were made on Saturday at Kibubura Girls Secondary School in Ibanda district, where he was represented by Vice President Jessica Alupo, as the school marked forty years of existence.
The school also laid the foundation stone for a Science complex.
“I am happy that the old girls are flagging off the construction of a multipurpose science complex, which will ignite the passion of the people through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics,” the vice president read.
It was through their resolve to promote science education that the school started construction of the science complex.
The president also paid tribute to the people of Ibanda for the four decades of girls’ secondary education and the old girls for holding a successful re-union to reflect on the past, assess the present, and plan for the future of the school, which molded them into responsible citizens and women of substance.
The Vice President, Rt Maj Jessica Alupo and other dignitaries pose for a photo at celebrations to mark 40 years of existence of Kibubura Girls Sec school-Ibanda.
He applauded Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa for giving strategic support and congratulated the North West Ankole Diocese for providing oversight and governance to the school under the leadership of Rt. Rev. Amos Magezi, the North-West Ankole Diocese Bishop.
With their support, President Museveni said, the school has managed to rise and shine in Western Uganda and nationally.
President Museveni further paid tribute to the school’s founder, Julia Kibubura, saying this vision is “praiseworthy.”
Julia Kibubura is said to be the first woman Gombolola (county chief) in Uganda. “History has it that Julia Kibubura, who was a traditional diviner of the king of Ankole, was among the first locals to accept Christianity. Her courage and fortitude as a woman in colonial times is an example for all to emulate.
‘’I thank the people of Ibanda for hosting this great institution and supporting it to fulfill the goal of educating girls and women,’’ Alupo remarked in the president’s speech.
The president added that the NRM government prioritizes girls’ education and that the 1.5 points of affirmative action at Makerere University have helped to grow the numbers of women in higher education.
Museveni contributed UGX 100 million towards the construction of the science block.
Earlier, the vice president promised to relay and pursue the message from the bishops to have Kibubura Girls School receive Government infrastructure support. She also contributed UGX 20 million towards the construction.
Alupo also challenged the religious leaders to use their pulpits to continuously speak out against cultural practices that hinder children’s programs. “Let the girl child and the boy child complete the school cycles so that communities and all children can access equal development.”
Rt. Rev. Amos Magezi said part of the aspirations of the school were to promote and empower the girl child through the administration of quality education with Christian morals.
Rt. Rev. Dr. Sheldon Mwesigwa, the former school head teacher and now Bishop of Ankole Diocese, who doubles as an associate professor of Religious education, hailed the school’s growth and ability to defy the odds.
The school head teacher, Amanya Celior, highlighted some of the school’s innovations, like the food and nutrition laboratory facilities, the five-acre banana plantation that supplements school feeding and enables saving, efforts in fighting soil erosion, and the teaching of the Chinese language.
