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RADIO TALK SHOW# 12 5^th /11/2022

 

MODERATOR:       BALONDEMU SIMON

PARENT, SIRONYO P/S BULUGUYI, BUGIRI DISTRICT:       WANDERA JOSEPH KYANGU

HEAD TEACHER BUWAABE P/S, BUGWERI DISTRICT:        NAKASANGO JAMAWA

MODERATOR: It’s so true that we hold the knowledge and means in ensuring our children receive the best or ideal education, I greet you, our dear listeners, commend you for the wonderful jobs you are doing in each and every one’s capacity and welcome you to the show, I am your host Balondemu Simon and we are back with our wonderful show proudly brought to you by ELEVATE Partners for Education, a Non-Government Organization that works towards boosting the education of children in Busoga region, we talk about education and knowledge, today is 5^th-November-2022, we are left with just one month to end this year 2022 and entre 2023, this is our 12^th show since the beginning of the year or since we started the third phase, I welcome you and “shout out” to our listeners from the districts of Iganga, Luuka, Bugweri, Mayuge, Kaliro, Bugiri, etc. where ELEVATE or POSITIVE DEVIANCE operates, its 12:02 pm on this Saturday afternoon, we are live on 90.6 Busoga One FM Omwoyo Gwa Busoga.

I am Balondemu Simon once again who works with a Non-Government Organization called Global Integrated Skills Training Centre located in Iganga district, we do various activities like working with youths that have just left school plus the schools themselves, by teaching them handcraft jobs or jobs that you can do with the available resources and raw materials in society, we encourage parents from within and outside Iganga to bring all their children who may have dropped out of school due to some un avoidable circumstances, like early pregnancies, lack of school fees, etc. so that we teach them these handcraft jobs, we also work in the development of health. Today in the studio, I have guests who are going to shortly introduce themselves to you by telling us their names, their work stations and their residences as we proceed, let me start with the lady, please madam, introduce yourself.

1^st GUEST: Thank you Moderator, I really appreciate you, I am Nakasango Jamawa, head teacher of Buwaabe Primary School in Bugweri district, Ibulanku Sub-County and village called Buwaabe where Honorable Leti Kiike stays, thank you for listening to me.

MODERATOR: We welcome you Madam Nakasango Jamawa, head teacher of Buwaabe P/S from Bugweri to the show, let me turn to my next guest, sir, please introduce yourself!

2^nd GUEST: Thank you moderator of the show, I am Wandera Joseph Kyanbu from Sironyo P/S, Buluguyi, I am here as a parent and ready to discuss how we can boost the education of our children even though they are about to break off for the holidays.

MODERATOR: The school is called Sironyo P/S, okay I welcome you the sir Mr. Wandera Kyanbu Joseph to the show as well, Buluguyi is a bit far but we are very appreciative of the fact that you managed to be hear in time, people from Buluguyi, Bugiri district, we love you so much. Let me take this opportunity to thank and appreciate ELEVATE The Partners for Education for giving us a chance every after a fortnight on a Saturday from 12:00pm-1:00pm to be here on Busoga One and host this very important show from the year of 2020, which was the lockdown period, so we have been operating for quite a long period of time on the radio air waves.

Today, it’s our third phase and our twelfth show this year, these radio shows have been running for quite some time and today, we are going to conclude our talk shows because we have now made a dozen and this is our last show this year, our dear listeners have been very loyal and good from the start, the teachers, the children/pupils, we appreciate and applaud all those we invited as hosts and they managed to come and be part of the shows, ELEVATE works towards boosting the education of our children in Busoga by using the available resources and means and knowledge that we do possess in our community or society. Let me just inform our guests in the studio and our listeners that today’s theme is we are looking at a wrap-up of all the topics or themes that we have been using to guide us in the talk shows as we brainstorm on ways to boost the education of our children, but we are putting a lot of emphasis on the 11 themes and” helping children study even when they are at home, and parents strengthening their responsibilities in boosting the education of children”, that’s what we are going to look at today.

Allow me to remind you of what transpired in the previous show, which was a fortnight back on 22^nd-October-2022, it was hosted by Madam Nakirya Doreen Brenda from Community Concern Initiative a Non-Government Organization which works in Mayuge, Jinja, and other districts, she was here but she wasn’t alone, she had two female guests like madam Allen Jaliya Nabirye, the District Education Officer (DEO) of Mayuge district and madam Mwoiti Rose, the head teacher of Busesa mixed P/S in Busesa, Bugweri district, they talked about a lot on the theme “how best teachers can educate large numbers of children in a single classroom and ensure that they understand the content effectively and efficiently and how parents can also help teachers effectively teach big numbers of children in the classroom”, let me remind you of a few things that were talked about, madam Allen Jaliya Nabirye the DEO said the ideal number of children if we are to base on standard is meant to be 55 in a single classroom, that’s the number that a teacher can handle efficiently or is the number that a teacher is supposed to attend to but there is a problem of children being very many in a classroom which limits or prevents the teacher from easily being in control, it also makes it hard for the teacher to attend to each and every child to provide the extra support or help, marking of the learners’ books has become really hard because of the big numbers, it’s also hard for the teacher to follow and complete the syllabus, she went ahead to tell us that these big numbers affect the standard at which the children are taught in schools.

She gave us a vivid comparison of the school on land and the schools on the islands, that on the islands, because of the presence of just one school on the whole island, the rich and the poor both have no choice but to take their children to the same schools and Madam Moiti Rose added on by saying that the children also grasp or learn effectively by using skits, dramas, short plays, art and crafts, through formation of discussion groups, and others, that’s why they have these initiatives and methods at her school (Busesa mixed P/S), she went on to say that since we cannot get rid of the big numbers since it’s the government’s initiative for all children to go to school, but teachers can use some of the methods that she shared with us, she asked and encouraged the parents to continuously help facilitate their children with scholastic materials, requirements like books, pens, enabling their children eat at school during time for meals, continuously counsel and instill discipline and good morals in their children, continuously visit their children at school to see how they are performing and talk to their teachers concerning their welfare, even though schools are almost breaking off for the third  term holidays, they should monitor them, madam Mwoiti Rose told us that she has the biggest number of children in a single school which is 2,451 in the whole Busoga region and the methods she gave us are the ones she also uses to ensure good results by her pupils.

She disintegrates the big number of pupils in two streams of around 100 children in case the total number of children is 400, then those 100 in a single stream are further broken down into groups of ten, these groups compete and ensure that each performs better than the others, she said that parents need to create good relationships with the teachers, teachers can make this happen by organizing class meetings with parents of a particular classes of like P.4, P.6, P.1, etc.  to discuss about issues and welfare concerning or that may hinder their children from performing better or well and so many other things that were talked about.

Now let me get back to my guests in the studio for today’s show, I hope you have not forgotten the theme of today’s show and the themes from the previous shows long before the previous one, we are looking at, basing on the themes of the previous shows here on 90.6 Busoga One FM Omwoyo Gwa Busoga, we are talking about “how we can help our children continuously study at home and how parents can strengthen their roles in boosting the education of their children” now that we are going for the long holidays and this one has been cut off so children will be going home earlier than usual, so let me start with the gentleman, Mr. Kyangu.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Yes sir!

MODERATOR: How is the situation in Buluguyi because we have seen some parents doing their jobs or roles of helping their children in schools even though there is a lot of scarcity of money at the moment, inflation, depression and famine? We have seen parents, despite of the short comings, striving and doing their level best to provide scholastic materials and requirements for their children even though some have deliberately refused to take the initiative and perform their responsibilities especially in government aided schools which have the UPE program, pupils come to school without books, pens, pencils, don’t eat at school, etc. we have visited these schools and observed the situation very many times, from the time we started, this is our third time because even on the previous show, madam Nakirya Brenda had the DEO of Mayuge district in the studio on our second last show in the year, today’s show is our last in this year , she talked about the short comings” here and there” like I have also recounted them, but let me focus on you, how many children do you have?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I have two children back at home one in P.2 and the other in P.3.

MODERATOR:  But basing on your age and looks, you are too old to have such young children!

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Those are my grandchildren; their mother ran off and left them with me, so it’s me who is taking them to school, their father, my son, has very many children, so I lessened the burden and took those two off his shoulders.

MODERATOR: So which means you play the role of both mother and father.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Yes, I play both roles.

MODERATOR: Wow, you deserve a hand clap because basing on your age, someone may not think you are capable of taking care of young children because we all know how stressful and stubborn these children tend to be, if we were live on television, the people out there would have gotten a chance to see you, thank you very much for taking on the responsibility, you really have a good heart. Now, these children were home for two years during the Covid 19 lockdown, and were not going to school yet they are in the lower section or lower primary, how have you managed to ensure they go to school from the beginning of this year to right now that they are about to go for holidays?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I put these children together with those of the neighbors and told their parents that I want to help them, we even went ahead and got a small black board and started teaching them at home, when I am unavailable or unable to attend to them due to some unavoidable circumstances, my wife steps in and teaches them in my place.

MODERATOR: But how are the children that we are talking about?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH:  One is 11 and the other is 13.

MODERATOR: So the 13 year old is in P.3 and the 11 year old in P.2!

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH:  Yes, they are going to the next classes next year.

MODERATOR: Now, you said that you have been teaching these children at home, you even got a small blackboard, how has that job been, has it been easy, or hard and complicated?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: You know, once you have the responsibility of taking care of children, you must put in some extra effort and means because you know that whatever you are doing has an impact on the lives or futures of these children. But once you choose to ignore them and let them be idle and playing all the time, they will not benefit anything. A good method is not to only wait for them to learn from the teachers but you must attend to them even when they are at home because the white man says “charity begins at home”. Even when that child grows up, in the future, he/she will always remember that my grandfather/mother taught me “this and that” to prepare me.

MODERATOR: Now, if you are to gauge yourself, do you think you are educating those children well or poorly?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I know that basing on the methods that I use; I am doing a good job by counseling and teaching them well.

MODERATOR: Then you are doing a very good job, I commend you, but you are here as a guest in the studio as a parent and representative of the parents listening in right now, the only difference is that you are from Bugiri and the other parents are from also other regions where this radio station’s airwaves reach, how have you personally managed to carry out your responsibility and also work with the teachers, how is the relationship between you and your grandchildren’s teachers?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I brought the teachers of my grandchildren together because I know how to work and bring people together; I have been talking to my teachers since the inception of my school because at its beginning, I was on the committee.

MODERATOR: Wow, that’s wonderful, which committee and which position did you possess?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Chairman of school management committee.

MODERATOR: I thought I had hosted a parent yet I am with a prominent person in the studio with me today, I once again welcome you.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Thank you, very much, they know me very well because I am the one who started or founded the school.

MODERATOR: Wow, but it’s a government school, how is it possible?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: It is, but I started it as a sub-grade school, then later on it was registered in the government, hence its status today as a full government primary school.

MODERATOR: Which year did you start it?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I founded it in 1982.

MODERATOR: In 1982, long before I was even born, in which year did you register it in the government?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: It was taken over by the government in 2000,

MODERATOR: (with amazement) in 2000, wow, Mzee, you deserve an award or a medal, so you started it and after all those years handed it over to the government, and you are still chairman school management committee!

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Yes sir.

MODERATOR: So it seems, they cannot get a replacement for you.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I am also surprised because they keep on giving me the same position even after my term ends; I was given the same position just recently.

MODERATOR: So how is your relationship with the teachers?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: My relationship with the teachers is very good.

MODERATOR: In which way, please help throw some more light there.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: In a way that whenever there is a quarrel, misunderstanding or mistake that affects the education of children the school, you, as the chairman of the SMC are supposed to be the eyes of the head teacher, you are supposed to go and tell him what is happening at school, so that you sit with him to get a solution or a resolution to the pressing issues without taking the matter(s) in the public.

MODERATOR: What I am asking is, what is your highest level of education, or which level did you reach in education?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I studied and stopped in S.3.

MODERATOR: That must have been a long time ago!

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Yes, it was a long time ago indeed.

MODERATOR: You dropped, out in S.3, started your own school, handed it to the government after some time and you are now its chairman SMC, and you are now educating and taking care of your grandchildren, that’s a very good legacy. What advice can you give parents out there who would like to create a good relationship with the teachers of their schools?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I am encouraging parents out there that if you take on your responsibility of facilitating your children at school, you must sacrifice and commit yourself; you must bring those people together, sit with them and counsel where need be, and make yourself the authority that they can rely upon and look up to but if you chose to turn a blind eye or ignore them, as they abuse themselves, create wrangles, etc. you are spoiling them, you need to do the needful and bring them together to solve any grievances so that the job of educating our children can move on smoothly.

MODERATOR: So that is how you have been playing your role as chairman SMC!

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Yes, that’s how I have been handling my responsibility.

MODERATOR: So which means you know each and every child’s parent at that school!

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Yes, I know each and every child’s parent personally because I call and talk to them regularly whenever necessary.

MODERATOR: Leaving that role aside of chairman SMC, what have you done as a parent to help prepare your grandchildren children for the long third term holiday that’s just “around the corner”?

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I must first tell them during assembly on the day when the school breaks off to be morally upright and observe discipline.

MODERATOR: First hold on Mr. Kyangu, so the head teacher of Sironyo P/S gives you a chance to come and talk to the pupils during the final general assembly that sees off the pupils for the long holiday!

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Yes, of course he does, even when need arises, I ask him to call the children on assembly so that I can talk to them.

MODERATOR: Okay you can proceed mzee.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: We all know that when these children leave school in holidays, they spend that time in holidays with the community or society, so they should be able to live among the community, when they are on their best behavior, the child must know his/her responsibility when at home i.e., how to help his/her parents or guardians, the child must also know and be sure of the nature of relationships that he/she has with the friend or colleagues, do they work together, some children are trouble causers and inconvenience their friends, so those should be counseled regularly.

MODERATOR: So that how you are fulfilling your responsibilities.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Yes sir.

MODERATOR: So, please talk to the parents out there, I have seen some schools in Iganga district who are already sending children home for third term holidays and I think some schools in different districts are doing the same thing, so give some advice to the parents out there who are about to receive these children who are going home for holidays!

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: I am just requesting all my fellow parents out there who are tuned in to 90.6 Busoga One FM, Omwoyo Gwa Busoga to be calm and listen to what we are talking about today at the moment, let them be useful in order to help you build and nurture your children in your homes, so that they know what to do and when to do it, I am requesting that once these children reach home from school for their holidays, please don’t ignore, abandon and let them roam freely and idly in the community, don’t send them away in the pretext of visiting their relatives like the grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. but keep them by your side at your home for easy monitoring because in most cases children pick up immorality and poor behaviors from those places that you usually send them, if it’s inevitable send them to visit for a very short period of time and then ask them to come back home instead of letting them roam free from  region to region as if they don’t have parents.

So please, I am requesting you to “harden” and to be tolerant in order to stay with your children during this very long holiday, you “tied up and packed the luggage, now you must carry it”.

MODERATOR: Wow, they “tied up and packed the luggage themselves, and now they must carry it” those are very good proverbs and figures of speech Mzee, let me turn my attention and focus to madam Nakasango Jamawa, the head teacher of Buwaabe P/S Bugweri district, madam!

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes moderator.

MODERATOR: I think you have listened to what Mr. Wandera has just said; they are very nutritious and beneficial words and messages.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes I have been listening and indeed, they are fruitful, nutritious and good messages.

MODERATOR: I like the way he has conveyed his message and flow of his content, using proverbs and experience, he has really impressed and made me happy, if only it were possible, I would be hosting him on each and every talk show, but the problem is, we are finalizing and this is the last show of the year and today’s show has totaled a dozen shows in this year. But remember, we basing the three phases that we have passed through to get the information and knowledge that we are using and sharing today, now you as a head teacher, you will allow me say that from back then, we have been doing these things, and we first hosted the first talk show on the theme of “behaviors of children after coming back from the covid-19 lock down into schools” because the lockdown lasted 2 years which is a relatively a long period of time, covid still exists and a few people are still suffering from it, on the next show, we talked about “the roles of parents in helping to boost the  education their children as school s had just re-opened after the lockdown”, on the next show, we talked about the “abridged curriculum the new curriculum that the government introduced in school to help cover the gap that had caused by the covid-19 lockdown and trying to understand and apply it”, the next was about “children studying at home and how we can strengthen our responsibilities and roles in that endeavor to boost their education”, the next was “seeing the responsibilities of the PTA and the SMC and how these committees are fulfilling their responsibilities in helping these schools after they had just been re-opened after the lock down”, the next was about “how schools are building or creating good relationships between them and the community or the parents in  boosting the education of our children”, the seventh was about “how stakeholders or the people we work with in schools are helping to boost the education of our children”, on the next one “ I was here by myself in the studio without any guests and was interacting directly with the listeners and asked them “what they were doing differently in their capacities to boost the education of their children!”, on the previous show just before this one, madam Nakirya Brenda Doreen was here and she talked about “how teachers can effectively teach classrooms of very many pupils and ensure that they understand or grasp the content that is being taught to them effectively and how parents can help them in that endeavor”.

That where, I will ask you to share with us how you have been handling these pupils who sat home for two years during the long lock down of 2 years, because some children had started  working, some were selling fuel, some were digging, and other business ventures respectively, then went back to school after it was lifted how have you ensured that you be with them till the end of this year, since school are closing very soon, has it been difficult or it has been easy, please help elaborate for us as head teacher?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA:  Thank you very much, host of today’s show, let take this opportunity to thank our Partners for Education, ELEVATE who we work with, moderator, to respond to the question you just asked me, it’s a very good question and I request our listeners to listen very carefully because this information benefits all of us, Buwabe P/S has very many children, we have a total of 800 pupils, but when Covid-19 came and we went for the 2 year lock down, every child came back changed and transformed from those we knew before the lock down, and the question we asked ourselves is “so what and now what”?, does that mean that whenever Covid is around, everything must get spoilt?, we must get back together and see the way forward but basing on education or studies, which means even though every child came back with their own morals and behaviors, you go “slowly by slowly” through one person talking  to a child, then two people talk to that child, sometimes you put four heads together and talk to a child at the same time and eventually, everyone will talk to that child in order to effect change because if a teacher tries to talk to a child and that child fails to change, that teacher is supposed to tell the senior woman teacher to exact some extra effort, slowly the  number of people who talk to the child keeps on increasing, which means when you singlehandedly talk to that child and you fail to effect change, you should not give up but consult and tell other people to help you, even if need arises and you may need the help of whole school, just hit the gong or ring the bell,  and you’ll have the whole school’s attention at assembly or parade and you will have the chance to talk to the pupils about for example discipline or good morals, in case the pupils are coming late to school, you are over absenting yourselves from school without valid or clear reasons.

Sometimes it’s necessary to start with the teachers themselves because they had also embarked on other business ventures like trading and other businesses like boda boda riding, others had gone abroad, by the time they also came back after the lockdown, their mentality had changed from teaching to other business ventures, so you as the head of the school need get ways of talking to them and outing measures to put them back in line or to gain back focus because most of them  realized and testify that those other business ventures that they got involved in made them more money than they get from teaching. But we talk to them and remind them that they chose the teaching profession themselves, took an oath without any one forcing them and should abide by, and get back to it because the government pays them. So we had to go back on ground and call for staff meetings in order to remind them of their responsibilities.

MODERATOR: So when you say that “we” had to get back on ground, you mean you and who?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: I mean “we” as head teachers or as the education department should go back on ground and talk to the teachers and remind them of their responsibilities once they come back to school, they must program very well and abide by the time table, they must do a follow up, they should do scheme of works, lesson planning and keep record of work, because supervision must be in place to know how and whether the teacher is doing and going through the right and standard procedures, how are applying the abridged curriculum, are the children understanding what you are teaching them according to the timetable because if you don’t manage time well, you will not know what comes next which means you must show us how you are using the time table, how the lesson plans moving.

MODERATOR: Madam Nakasango, the head teacher of Buwabe P/S found in Bugweri district, because you have mentioned it all but what are you doing differently at your school Buwabe P/S that other schools are not doing?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Thank you very much Mr. Balondemu Simon, for that question, at Buwabe P/S, I found it with its problems as a school but I am trying my level best as a person to solve them.

MODERATOR: You said you found it, for how long have you been at that school?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: I reported to that station in the 5^th month (May) of this year (2022).

MODERATOR: So, you are new like a backcloth at the school!

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes, I am.

MODERATOR: So what are some of the problems you have just mentioned, if you don’t mind sharing with us!

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: I found when the learners of Buwabe P/S were greatly affected by the 2 year lock down because most of them can’t read and write, so I took it upon my shoulders not to sit back and relax but try to help them, I have been observing their exercise books and they don’t give motivation to be marked by the teacher because even the children are not sure of what they write in these books, and I said, no, we should go back to the drawing board.

MODERATOR: So which means the teacher who teaches doesn’t understand and the pupil who writes it doesn’t understand it either.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes, this means the teacher and the pupils “concede a draw” if it were to be a football game.

MODERATOR: Now that’s where the “katogo” (concoction) comes in.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes, that’s why I decided to go back to the drawing board, because professionally, I am a lower section/primary teacher.

MODERATOR: So you mean you teach lower classes!

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes, I teach reading and writing but I saw or realized that it would yield better results if someone wrote what he/she understood or understands, so I brought or introduced a hand writing book that teaches a child to write properly, and I can testify that at the moment 3 quarters of the children have hand writing books.

MODERATOR: That means 75% of the learners have hand writing books, is that from P.1-P.7?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: yes, from P.1-P.7 and I can testify that at the moment, if you open a child’s book to see what is written there, you really admire and can clearly read the content without straining or squinting your eyes.

MODERATOR: So that means that even the P.7 candidates could not write properly or had poor hand writings!

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: They couldn’t as well.

MODERATOR: May the Lord have mercy on them.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Those two years of the lock down had really affected them, so we have been trying the hand writing initiative, and then we also introduced the “DEAR day”, which is an anagram for Drop Everything And Read, this is on every Wednesday and on this day, we leave every lesson at a particular time and each class has to read.

MODERATOR: These are the different things you are doing at your school.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes these are the things we are doing differently at our school and I am still adding more, another thing is that we have given the children time.

MODERATOR: You have given the children time, what do you mean by that?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: I mean the P.1 and P.2 children leave school at 3:00pm, we asked ourselves that what do these children do between the hours of 1:00pm-3:00pm when they go home, they surely don’t dig or wash for the parents but stay there idly, since it’s also very hot during that time of day so we decided to retain them in order for them to continue reading and writing at school and spare them, the scotching heat.

MODERATOR: When you retain them at school, do you feed them during lunch time, because keeping those young learners at school from morning to 3:00pm is quite a lot for the young learners of P.1-P.2.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Thank you for that question, we talked to our dear parents and they know what to do, the few that are on the same page with us pack some eatables or snacks for their children in containers to eat during lunch time, so the child knows that he/she must eat a little during lunch time and eat the rest during lunch time. Some parents who have children both in the nursery section and in P.1 & P.2, bring some eatables for their children when they come to pick the ones in nursery at mid-day which will keep them active until 3:00pm which is the time of their departure, those are some of the things I am doing differently since I joined Buwabe P/S.

MODERATOR: Honestly speaking, if you only joined in May of this year but you are already doing those things you have mentioned, then you and the school have a very bright future, and I think your bosses in Bugweri are tuned in and listening to us at the moment. So which organization do you have in place to help these children study at home when they break off for holidays, because this holiday is going to be a bit longer than the usual third term holidays?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA:  Thank you very much; I have an organization in place, before the end of this term, we called all parents for a meeting and told them their responsibility in this term, and went to further tell them that their responsibilities don’t only end at school but they must be carried forward even when the children are home during the holidays, we want our parents to monitor the movements of their children but they are going to play their part as we also play ours using the books that the government has given to us called the home learning materials which means we shall give our children these books to go back with, so that in the parent’s free time, he/she can sit and help his/he child study using these home learning materials during the holidays, the parent can ask the child to read information from the book and later on ask the child to explain what the  content means, if a particular parent is illiterate, the child is elder siblings or other relatives can help, so the combination of the hand writing book and the home learning materials will help our study during the long holiday.

MODERATOR: So are you going to give each child a copy of that book, or you are going to give to a particular level or class?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Wherever we see that there is a weakness and need arises, that’s where we apply that book.

MODERATOR: So how will you discover where the weakness is when the children are not at school but they are home for the holiday?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: We have already started the process, and the books are already in circulation and use, yesterday but one I gave out a homework assignment and told the pupils to write in those particular books and there is also a provision where the parents write to show us that they have been helping their children plus a comment.

MODERATOR: First hold on, it looks like Mr. Wandera has something to say, do you have anything to say or add on Mzee.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: No, I am just in agreement and appreciative of what she is saying and the way she runs her school, that’s all.

MODERATOR: You see, I saw you raising your hand and thought you wanted to say something, the way she runs her school may want you to shift for Sironyo P/S to Buwabe P/S, any way madam, you can carry on.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Thank you sir for that appreciation, like I was saying, parents should write their names to show that they have seen what the children have written, the date and also put a comment, we took the initiative of opening the books when the children brought them back and one parents commented by writing, “ndi musiimu inho”.

MODERATOR: Did the parent at least write it in English or in lusoga?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: In lusoga.

MODERATOR: The parents of Buwabe P/S have gone to another level.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Indeed, they have, another parent wrote “very good hand writing”.

MODEARTOR: When he/she is appreciating the child.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes, all the appreciation to the child, another parent wrote “awandise bulungi”.

MODERATOR: I think out of all that information, the one that has really made me happy is that you have done all that in third term, if only you had arrived and put all that in place from the first term, there would only be wonders and miracles in Buwabe P/S but the problem is that you hadn’t yet joined the school. But let’s wait for the coming year, next year in term one as we also pray for the candidates who are going to be briefed very soon, so please conclude those points.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: As I conclude, I want to tell my dear parents that there is no way we can make Buwabe P/S become great without working together as us teachers and the parents, we need to work together and any parent is wrong who thinks that the child only understands or learns when in class, children can also learn very well at home when they are helped by their parents or guardians, at home, the child can learn how they welcome a guest in a home, how they greet guests, table manners, how a learner walks and acts in society to differentiate themselves from those that don’t go to school.

MODERATOR: Those are the behaviors that we talked about as a theme in one of our shows.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes, they are. It’s through this guidance from their parents that they can know the way to humbly talk to a person because you can easily tell that a particular child has good manners or poor manners by just the way he/she greets you when you visit his/her parents’ home, so I am telling our dear parents that they should continuously talk to their children and show them love and compassion, like how a parent can bring his/her child at school and tells you to cane or beat that child on his/her behalf, then you ask him/her that couldn’t  you beat or cane him/her by yourself?. So I am requesting our dear parents to be calm, loving and sympathetic when handling their children.

MODERATOR: Now madam Nakasango, as we conclude this issue, which special strategies are you planning to come back with at the beginning of next term, next year in 2023 for the school to run smoothly and the children to learn effectively in Buwabe P/S, Bugweri district and Busoga region at large?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: The strategies that I am planning are that immediately the school opens, we have a meeting with the parents; we want to remind those parents about their responsibilities, what the child is supposed to receive when he/she is leaving home, a child has to be fed at school, a child has to have some rules that governs him/her because when you as a parent set rules and regulations that a child has to be at school from Monday to Friday, there is no way that child will do otherwise, that’s if you also take the initiative to find out whether that child is abiding by those rules and regulation, I had an incident at school where a parent came tom school and told us that his/her child doesn’t want to study, but I am requesting you people to keep a vigilant eye and help me find out whether she reaches the school when she leaves home in the morning.

MODERATOR: So it becomes the responsibility of both the teachers and the parent because the parent wakes the child up and prepares the child for school in the morning and the teacher’s job is to receive and ensure that child has reached the school.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: So when she came, I told her to give us full control of that particular child, she said I have given you full responsibility, so I asked her to go and purchase for us a 32 page exercise book, so she went and bought it.

MODERATOR: You people are lucky because they still sell those in your area.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: This child has to bring this book to me every morning after arriving at school for me to sign in in the morning on arrival and in the evening during the departure time, that will show whether the child has studied or she/he hasn’t. So the child comes every day in the morning and in the evening to get my signatures, I ask her what time she has arrived before she enters the classroom.

MODERATOR: So madam, except the parent’s meeting, what other strategy do you have for the next term?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA:  I also have plans of visiting parents at their respective homes (home visits) because there are some children who want to come to school but can’t because of some reasons that don’t reach school, for example we have a learner called Derrick Muwabe, he got a problem but he loves to come to school so much, he got an accident of being hit by a tree towards the end of the Covid -19 lock down.

MODERATOR: Let me hope you are going to make the story brief!

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes, it is, I want to visit that home so that we see how we can help Derrick and other children who fall in the same category, because they deserve to be at school.

MODERATOR: Disability is not inability but there are some who don’t fall in the same category as Derrick but have some problems at home that hinder them from being at school.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: I also have to go and visit the children without disabilities parents in their homes as well, that’s my second resolution that I am going to put in place at the beginning of next term in 2023. I also want to increase the children’s time at school come term I, 2023, very early in the morning and late in the evening.

MODERATOR: Isn’t that we call extra time or extra lessons.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Exactly, I want to talk to my parents and the teachers as well.

MODERATOR: They are listening in right now and I am sure they will accept.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: I also want to ensure that the supervision increases.

MODERATOR: Whose supervision do you want to increase?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: I want to increase supervision of my teachers.

MODERATOR: But I thought that’s your responsibility as a head teacher, to supervise the teachers.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes it is but there is supervision where you just talk to them but I want to put in place tools that can be used in effective supervision, so that we sit at the back of the class as teachers are teaching to verify and ensure that these teachers do what is expected of them.

MODERATOR: There is a certain word you have used that we NGOs use, the word “tools”, you see when we use that word, someone may assume we are talking about garden tools.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Sir, I also want to introduce class meetings.

MODERATOR: Yes, Madam Mwoiti Rose talked about those particular meetings when she was hosted in the studio on our previous show.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Those class meetings will help us because the content you tell a P.1 toddler is not the same thing you tell a P.7 candidate, so let the P.1 class have its day and the P.7 class for effective communication and solving if problems that concern a particular class and the different classes have different scholastic materials and requirements needed. Then, we are going to formulate the rules and regulations that govern our school.

MODERATOR: First hold on, your school doesn’t have a set of rules and regulations governing it, I thought every school is supposed to have those from its inception!

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Every school has, but they are formulated and later on amended to fit the status quo.

MODERATOR: I had gotten really worried because I thought the school didn’t originally have rules and regulations but it’s good that you are just going to amend.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Yes, we are just amended them because the original ones were made before the lockdown and so much has changed since then, we are trying to make them fit with what needs to be on ground because I also want every teacher to be with a set of rules governing his/her classroom.

MODERATOR: We thank you very much madam Nakasango Jamawa, the head teacher of Buwabe P/S in Bugweri district, and Mr. Wandera Kyangu Joseph, a parent of Sironyo P/S in Bugiri, they are the ones I have with me as guests in the studio for today show as we conclude this year’s shows, I want to appreciate my guests for coming to the studios of Busoga One 90.6 FM Omwoyo Gwa Busoga to be part of it, by the way I have very many listeners who are tuned in and are listening in, the first one is Mr. Kaka Hussein, this gentleman is one of our loyal listeners, he is the CDO, Iganga district central division, he is our very good listener and I am sure  he is tuned in at the moment, the second one is Mberenge Rogers, this gentleman is in Nawampiti, Luuka district, he has sent me a message and he is sending greetings to you madam Nakasango Jamawa, we are also sending greetings to all people of Nawampiti, another listener is a lady called Benda Mariam located in Kasolo, Ngangali, Iganga district, she is also tuned because she has confirmed it by sending me a message filled with also greetings.

My dear listeners, you will allow me, before going for a short commercial break to remind you that we are looking at out of all the talk shows that we have hosted from the beginning of the year with their various themes, “how can they help a child to study at home and how parents’ role can be strengthened in boosting the education of our children” most especially now that schools are almost breaking off for the third term holidays. Okay, let’s go for a very short commercial break of one minute, please stay tuned.

SHORT COMMERCIAL BREAK

MODERATOR: Yes, that how it is, we hold the means and knowledge of ensuring our children receive the best or ideal education like the short commercial break credit has just said on top of what we also keep on telling and reminding you, our dear listeners, the means and knowledge are in me, you, the boda boda rider out there, the mother at home, the grandmother, the head teacher, the woman who prepares food or porridge, etc. I am going to open my lines where our dear listeners can call in and interact with us basing on our theme of the day,.

I am Balondemu Simon, your host of today’s show, our program is flowing smoothly, I have two guests in the studio today, a lady, madam Nakasango Jamawa who is the head teacher of Buwabe P/S Bugweri district and a gentleman, Mr. Kyangu Wandera Joseph, a parent of Sironyo P/S Bugiri who has told us that he is chairman SMC of that particular school please dial these numbers to reach us 0776 989 906 for MTN and 0757 906 906 for Airtel. Remember, out of all the talk shows that we have hosted from the beginning of the year with their various themes, “how can they help a child to study at home and how parents’ role can be strengthened in boosting the education of our children, let’s have our first caller.

1^st CALLER

KIRYA JACOB FROM KALIRO BWITE: I am appreciating so much that head teacher and the parent that they have done very good jobs of boosting both their schools, let me also work hard and bring my children to either of the schools.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much for calling Mr.Kirya, he said he has admired your schools; he wants to work hard and take his children from Kaliro to Buwabe P/S in Bugweri. Madam Nakasango, do you have the boarding section at your school?

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: No, we don’t have.

MODERATOR: Which means next year put in the initiative and effort to put in place the boarding section. Okay, let me get our next caller!

2^nd CALLER

MUZAALE FROM NDWENDWE BUYENDE DISTRICT: Thank you very much for coming in the studio and educating us, that is a very good initiative.

MODERATOR: Now besides, educating you people, we are looking at responsibilities, how are you preparing your children as they go for the long third term holiday?

MUZAALE FROM NDWENDWE, BUYENDE DISTRICT: I personally, don’t have a wife.

MODERATOR: But that doesn’t hinder you from having children.

MUZAALE FROM NDWENDWE, BUYENDE DISTRICT: Okay, there are some children at home that we take care of, very well.

MODERATOR: Mr. Muzaale, how old are you?

MUZAALE FROM NDWENDWE, BUYENDE DISTRICT: I am in my 20s.

MODERATOR: Okay, thank you for calling in, let’s get our next caller.

3^rd CALLER

DENNIS THE SENIOR MECHANIC FROM BULENGO: That is a very wonderful theme that you have brought in the studio today, but I am just appreciating and commending you for the wonderful show.

MODERATOR: Mr, Dennis, are you a parent?

DENNIS THE SENIOR MECHANIC FROM BULENGO: No, not yet, I am still a child.

MODERATOR: You are still a child, Okay; I am requesting you to give some encouragement and advice to your fellow children who are coming back home for the long holiday!

DENNIS THE SENIOR MECHANIC FROM BULENGO: I am requesting my fellow children not to use the money given to them for school fees by the parents, not to take that money into betting houses, let them not just sit under trees or shades playing board games like ludo and also listen to and abide by what their parents tell them, good bye!

MODERATOR: Okay, thank you for calling, that child has mentioned a very crucial point, it has reminded me of what transpired at the beginning of this week, there is a certain school in Iganga district which was traumatized and shocked by a senior six candidate who hanged himself using a mosquito net in the dormitory.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: I also heard about that incident, in fact he was a student of Bukoyo secondary school.

MODERATOR: Yes, but all that happened because of such things that Dennis has talked about, so I am requesting parents to build or form a good relationship between themselves and their learners.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Plus to also put in place counseling services to the learners.

MODERATOR: Yes, that too Mzee, then we parents should also be friendly or friends with our children, it will help us so much, let’s get our next caller.

4^th CALLER

KAKAIRE SHARIF FROM BUGUMBA IGANGA DISTRICT: Let me first appreciate the teachers who come in the studios of Busoga One and educate the nation.

MODERATOR: Thank you for appreciating Mr. Sharif.

KAKAIRE SHARIF FROM BUGUMBA IGANGA DISTRICT: It’s through this that we also get to know them but I am requesting the teachers to organize and give our children some holiday package as they come home for holidays, we are willing to pay some little money like 3,000/= .

MODERATOR: Which class are you, sir?

KAKAIRE SHARIF FROM BUGUMBA, IGANGA DISTRICT: Me, I don’t go to school.

MODERATOR: Okay, but do you have any children that you facilitate in terms of education?

KAKAIRE SHARIF FROM BUGUMBA, IGANGA DISTRICT: I don’t have.

MODERATOR: Okay, thank you for speaking on behalf of the parents.

KAKAIRE SHARIF FROM BUGUMBA, IGANGA DISTRICT: You are welcome and good bye

MODERATOR: Thank you Sharif for calling in.

5^th CALLER

KIRYA JACOB FROM KALIRO BWITE: I went off earlier but I had not yet finished.

MODERATOR: Yes, Mr. Kirya, you are back, please continue.

KIRYA JACOB FROM KALIRO BWITE: I am requesting for the head teacher and the gentleman in the studio’s phone numbers because I want to enroll my child in her school.

MODERATOR: Okay, they have heard and they will give them to you.

KIRYA JACOB FROM KALIRO BWITE: Honestly, they have really impressed me and for that, for sure, I have admired them, send them greetings on my behalf.

MODERATOR: Okay, thank you very much Mr. Kirya Jacob for calling in again. Mr. Wandera and madam Nakasango, Kirya Jacob has really been impressed by you people and is requesting for your phone numbers but let’s get the next caller!

6^th CALLER

MUWEREZA JACOB FROM IRONGO : I have also really appreciated the head teacher in the studio, if only her school was located in my area code, she would help solve our biggest challenge, most of the children these ends work in the sugarcane plantations, they lie to their parents that they are going to school in the morning dressed very smartly, and when they reach on the way yet they branch of to people’s plantations, when you ask his colleagues or classmates, they testify to seeing him in the swamp working in the sugarcane plantation, ,then you ask yourself where he has gotten the panga from!, that head teacher would help us a lot if she was to be stationed this side, thank you very much, good bye.

MODERATOR: Thank you for calling Mr. Muwereza but the head teacher is stationed in Bugweri district so she can’t come and help you because it’s not her jurisdiction.

7^th CALLER

WANZOLA KIDERA FROM BUYENDE: I am also just appreciating that head teacher as well, I have really appreciated, and in fact if her school was near I would have also enrolled my child.

MODERATOR: You bring them even though they are government schools, thanks for calling.

8^th CALLER

WANZALA: Thank you very much for the wonderful show, my message is, we as parents are trying to do our level best but hover much we try, we have a limit and can’t reach the same level with teachers when it comes to responsibility of educating our children, but we still have to carry out our responsibility because I just can’t look at the child going astray by lying about going to school yet in actual sense he is going to work in the sugarcane plantation like one of the callers has just said, for such a case, you can’t expect a teacher to help you solve that problem but you as a parent has to take on that responsibility of following up and putting that child back in line, let us “style” up and carry out our responsibilities as parents.

MODERATOR: So please conclude by giving a word of advice!

WANZALA: I am still appreciating those parents in the studio because they are educating our children well and also the Mzee who started or founded a primary school also has my appreciation, let’s use both the guests in the studio as role models and emulate them, thank you for listening to me.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much Mr. Wanzala, my guests, I am left with a few minutes so I am requesting Mr. Kyangu to comment basing on the phone calls we have just received and then give us your last word as we conclude the year in a few minutes.

KYANGU WANDERA JOSEPH: Thank you very much moderator, I thank the Non-Government Organization called ELEVATE The Partners for Education which helps educate or boost the education of our children plus madam Nakasango Jamawa for finding time and coming to the studio to be part of this experience with me in the studio of Busoga One 90.6 FM, Omwoyo Gwa Busoga, I am requesting all parents who have tuned in to this radio station and have managed to hear or listen to what we have been discussing, please know your responsibilities when it comes to the education of your children, know them as individuals, and give them respect so that they can also respect you, because, “if you don’t fear a child, he/she will also not fear you”, he/she will despise you.

So as we are closing the year and the show, I send greeting s to all my people at home, I am sending greetings to my head teacher Mr. Wilberforce Magoola and your entire staff, plus my wife plus our children at home, my parish priest of Muluguyi, I appreciate and thank you for making me a better person and praying for me that has made me reach the studio safely and be a part of this show, so that next time I am called upon, to reach safely, thank you very much. May the Lord Bless you all!

MODERATOR: Amen, thank you very much Mr. Kyangu Wandera Joseph for those very good words, please Madam Nakasango Jamawa, please comment on the phone calls that we have received, some people have requested for your phone number, some have admired you, one caller has even requested you to go to Irongo, it seems others even want to give you promotions, etc. so please give your closing remarks, respond to those people and also send out greetings to a few people.

NAKASANGO JAMAWA: Thank you very much for all those comments directed towards me, by the callers, I am also appreciating the listeners, I have noticed that most of the callers were calling to appreciate and commend me for the wonderful job I am doing, I don’t know if they have just appreciated my voice but I would like to think it’s because of my methods and resolutions that I have for making my school to standard and on track for producing good grades. Those who requested for my phone number, it is 0758-180-822 / 0772-468-646, I am requesting all our listeners to know their roles and responsibilities when it comes to the education of our children, once the parents get to know theirs and where there boundaries reach, then we shall move on smoothly and swiftly, I am also requesting for their support and please give us those small things that we request for, whether it’s a pen, a pencil, etc. those small things will give birth to the big things that they all crave for in terms of the good performance of their children and get good future leaders.

I am appreciating you, Mr. Balondemu Simon for hosting us in the studios of Busoga One, 90.6 FM, Omwoyo Gwa Busoga plus our Partners for Education, who are ELEVATE, Bugweri local government, for supporting us every day, the education office, all the head teachers from different schools plus all my teachers of Buwabe P/S, the chairperson SMC, PTA and all the parents of my school, that may the Almighty God Bless you all abundantly, I want to tell my husband and my children that I am returning home, then greetings to my mother and siblings in the village, May the Lord Bless you Mr. Balondemu Simon, the parents, the teachers and all the listeners out there.

MODERATOR: Amen, Amen, Amen, “I am very time bad” but I want to appreciate and thank you my guests for coming to today’s show and sharing with us that very important and educative content, the people of Lambala P/S of Luuka have just sent me a text message, Robert Mugambwa has also said that he is tuned in and listening in right now, Mr. Mugambwa, we have also sent you greetings, I am only left with one minute so let me use it by appreciating and thanking ELEVATE The Partners for Education for financially sponsoring and enabling us have these shows from 2020 until now on our last show of  this year 2022 as we are finalizing.

I am also appreciating all the districts that we work with and all the partners, you can find all our previous shows from the very first one to the one of today on our social media handles and websites of Elevate Partners for education on www.Elevate educate.Org, Elevate Partners of Education on Facebook and twitter @ elevate ed.UG under resources.

I wish all the P.7 candidates success in their final examinations (PLE) most especially all those schools that we work with in Busoga region that are in briefing today, we wish you all the best, until next year, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

I have been your host of the show, Balondemu Simon and I wish you all the best.

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU ALL!

GOOD BYE