---- Transcript -----

RADIO TALK SHOW #9 24^th /09/2022

 

MODERATOR:        NAKIRYA BRENDA DOREEN

PARENT, IZIRA BAPTIST P/S BUGIRI DISTRICT:   TAAKA PENNINAH

PARENT, IDUDI P/S IDUDI TOWN COUNCIL:           KADUNGA MUHAMMED

MODERATOR: our dear listeners, I want to invite you to Busoga One, 90.6 FM Omwoyo Gwa Busoga, its 12:00pm the Saturday of 24^th/September/2022, I am Nakirya Brenda Doreen from the Non-Government Organisation called Community Concern Initiative Uganda, our head offices are in Wairaka but we work in districts like Mayuge, Luuka, Jinja, Kaliro and Kamuli, let me greet some of the colleagues that we (this program) work with in Iganga, Bugweri, Mayuge, Luuka, Kaliro and Bugiri districts , thank you for the good work you are doing plus our dear listener who is seated somewhere and always tunes in to this radio station, I am not alone in the studio but I have two guests, a man and a woman with me who are going to introduce themselves to you shortly, by telling us their names, their portfolios, the schools that their children go to school and their home regions, let me start with the lady seated on my left.

1^st GUEST: Thank you Madam, I am Taaka Penninah from Bugiri district, village is Izira, my children go to Izira Baptist P/S, thank you very much madam.

MODERATOR: Thank you for coming today, it’s a pleasure to have you in the studio today, let me let the gentleman seated on my right also introduce himself.

2^nd GUEST: Thank you our dear host, I am Kadunga Muhammed from Idudi Town Council, and my child goes to Idudi P/S in Idudi Town Council.

MODERATOR: Thank you sir for coming to the studio today, let me thank ELEVATE, the partners of education for financially sponsoring us and enabling us have this talk show, ELEVATE works towards the boosting the education of our children in Busoga region by using the available resources or things that are around us in the community. Today’s theme is about “strengthening the role of parents in boosting the education of our children” but before we disintegrate today’s theme, let me remind our dear listeners of what transpired in the previous show which was a fortnight ago on 10^th-September-2022, were here on the same radio station, Mr. Balondemu Simon was the host of that particular show, his guests were Mr. Wanzu James, chairman of the PTA Kiroba P/S Bukanga Luuka district and Mr. Bwire David, the head teacher Buyuge P/S Kaliro district, the theme of that particular show was “how school stakeholders are strengthening the working relationship between the school community in improving children’s learning”, a lot was talked about but let me remind you of just a few points that were talked about, they told us that it is very important to have the different committees like the PTA and the SMC whose roles are to bring together the children, parents or community and teachers at large, they went on to say that teachers should work together with the heads of the schools or head teachers to effectively perform their roles and duties, they (guests of the previous show) encouraged the head teachers of various schools to be transparent in all activities involving the schools that they head, they also encouraged parents to not get tired but continuously visit schools to find out the trends in the  performance of your children plus also get some of your queries and questions solved and answered, on his concluding remarks Mr. Bwire David told parents that education is a child is about commitment and sacrifice, some people think that it’s only the rich that have the means and capacity to educate their children but that even the poor parents can do the same by using the available resources and continuously visiting and talking to the head teachers on case of a short coming, and others.

Today’s theme of the show is not that different, we shall just provide a continuation but we want to get means and measures of strengthening the role of parents in boosting the education of our children, we visited schools some time back in order to make research through asking questions, looking at reports and came to a realization that a parent is the first teacher of the child and you have the responsibility to teach your child various subject matter on different or various content, like about health, table manners, food, sanitation, hygiene, about good morals and others, there are very many things that a child can learn at home before starting or going to school.

Okay, Madam Taaka, you take your children to Izira Baptist P/S, how many of your children are pupils at that school?

TAAKA PENNINAH: At Izira Baptist P/S, I have 3 children who attend that particular school.

MODERATOR: What classes are they?

TAAKA PENNINAH: 2 are in P. 6 and one is in P.3.

MODERATOR: Okay now as you, a parent of three, how do you understand by strengthening the role of parents in boosting the education of you children?

TAAKA PENNINAH:  Thank you madam, from my perspective, I have to continuously remind, encourage and motivate them to love school or their education, and give them enough scholastic materials.

MODERATOR: How do you continuously remind, encourage and motivate them, take us through the exercise thoroughly?

TAAKA PENNINAH: I tell them that education is the best thing in this world, if you don’t attain an education; you fail in this world, you will not amount to anything without attaining an education, all those prominent people like the president, ministers, etc. all had to attain an education to become what they are today, so those words are encouraging and in the end motivates them to increase their love for school.

MODERATOR:  Okay, we here in the studio and the listeners out there want to know what you are doing as Madam Taaka Peninnah, to improve your children’s performance and in then boost their education.

TAAKA PENINNAH: Once my child comes to me when he/she needs a particular scholastic material or requirement, I don’t lose my temper, get angry or become hostile towards that particular child, when he/she comes in a period when I don’t have or can’t afford that scholastic material, I tell that child to be patient and that I would provide later on in the evening or in the next day’s morning, and I endeavor to work tooth and nail to ensure that I provide it in either time that I promised.

MODERATOR: What else do you do?

TAAKA PENINNAH: I tell them to go to school, respect their teachers and know why they are at school which is to attain an education and pass with good grades.

MODERATOR: There are some schools where some parents don’t want to give their children scholastic materials to use at school, yet any child without scholastic materials is greatly negatively affected because he/she sit idly as his/her friends perform different tasks and exercises with their scholastic materials, but what are some of the reasons that may prevent these parents from providing scholastic materials for their children?

TAAKA PENINNAH: Those parents that don’t want to provide scholastic materials for their children; I don’t know what goes through or transpires in their brains, it’s possible that they gave birth to these children unintentionally or they just don’t love them, but a good parent is supposed to provide scholastic materials for his/her child, if the school asks for maize to enable feeding, a good parent is supposed to provide that maize, most schools have meetings where teachers, heads of schools, committees and parents convene to settle on the desired  requirements for like feeding, school dues and others, a good parent should ensure that he/she clears all the agreed on items in time and any short coming that he/she meets should be reported to the head teachers, in order to ask for more time and prevent his/her child form being sent home as a defaulter, but some parents even participate and are active in those meeting and at the end of the day when being called upon, turn a “deaf ear” or don’t respond.

When a parent complies and provides requirements and scholastic materials, he/she ensures that his/her child has a bright future of getting a good job and in the end helps you when you are old and cannot fend for yourself, because that would mean that that child has very high chances of getting good results but a parent who doesn’t provide requirements and scholastic materials is doing a disservice to their child’s future because that child is most likely to perform poorly or get poor grades which will lead to a dull or bad future ,of suffering and struggling with the world plus ,that child will not be able to help you in the future when you are old and cannot fend for yourself.

They used to tell us that teaching a child is a sacrifice and requires commitment because educating s child is not easy, it requires a lot of dedication and one being selfless and not greedy, but let us work tooth and nail to educate our children, when they ask for requirements or scholastic materials, give them, some parents argue and bark at children when they for example come and say the school has asked for maize to enable them feed, during lunch and break time, some give excuses like “I don’t have money, I have nowhere to get money, there is a famine and scarcity, they go on to tell the child you want to eat at home, now you also want to eat at school” and others but what I  want to tell those parents out there is that  it’s an investment because these are the same children who will help you when you become old and can’t fend for yourself.

And once a child is at school and he/she is not eating during the time for meals, he/she will not understand what he/she is being taught in class, let us sacrifice and give our children scholastic materials and requirements, let us sacrifice and lack what to eat but when our children are well equipped with all necessities that would ensure they perform well and get good results for better, fruitful, productive futures and a better Uganda.

MODERATOR: But why do you think they deliberately fail or refuse to give their children scholastic materials? I know some give but there are those ones that fail completely to provide

TAAKA PENINNAH: There are some parents who try so hard to ensure their children receive all that’s needed for them to have the best education and there those that don’t provide completely.

MODERATOR: Why do you think those other ones fail to provide?

TAAKA PENINNAH: Those ones who fail to provide always have the excuse of them not having money, that they are poor, they don’t even have what to eat at home, etc. those are their reasons.

MODERATOR: UNESCO made an investigation and found out that a parents contributes a very big percentage in contributing to whether a child goes to school or not like I said earlier on that the parent is the first or the immediate teacher at or from home simply because a child starts going to school at the age of 6 years, which means that before he/she turns 6, he/she has been studying from home but in Uganda, some things are different from the rest of the world because some head teachers complain that most of the parents don’t report for meetings when called upon by the head teachers or committee heads, other parents don’t provide scholastic materials for their children, some children even come to school without uniforms, scholastic material like books, so let me turn my attention to Mr. Kadunga Muhammed, how many of your children study at Idudi P/S?

KADUNGA MUHAMMED:  I have 6 children who study at Idudi P/S.

MODERATOR: In which classes are they?

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: 2 are in P.4, 2 are in P.6, one in P.1 and the other one in P.2.

MODERATOR: How do you understand the concept of strengthening the parents’ role in boosting the education of our children?

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: I understand it as providing the children with morale, appetite, and to encourage them to study well or properly, the first and most important thing is for you as the parent to know why your child goes to school and the end result, once you know that, you will be self-driven in ensuring the child studies which also entails providing scholastic materials and requirements, it quite difficult for a parent to pay school dues and have zero balance yet that parent doesn’t also know why his/her child goes to school every day, that s why most of them default and are just forced to clear to zero balance  but a parent who knows will be the first to ensure his/her child clears to zero balance, his/her child has all the scholastic materials and the requirements needed.

These days as a means of motivating our children to go to school, we give them live examples of members in the community who went to school and how they are living vis-à-vis those that didn’t go to school and how they are living, you make sure you pick that particular person who is living terribly and miserably simply because they didn’t go to school, you pick the worst of them all, each community has such people  in order to paint a vivid picture as a means to motivate and encourage them to change their attitudes towards school, then show them someone who is doing extremely well because they attained an education as you emphasize that you want them to go to school in order to be like the individual who can afford a luxurious and good life, not the individual who is suffering on a daily basis.

MODERATOR: What do you think can be done to strengthen the parents’ role in boosting the education of our children?

KADUNGA MOHAMMED: To all my fellow parents, what can be done to strengthen the parents’ role is by giving our children and their schools time in case we have been called for meetings because there are some meetings where the head teacher wants to inform the parents about particular reforms and changes in the school, for example if the children have not been eating at school and the head teacher noticed that children are dull towards and after lunch and may want to bring the motion to the floor about parents providing at least 2 to 3 kilograms  maize  to enable the children feed to solve the problem of children being dull and inactive due to hunger. Once a parent goes to school for the meetings and is active which is backed by the parent complying to whatever has been discussed in the meetings like providing a particular quantity of like 10 kilograms to enable the children eat porridge at break time plus posho and beans to prevent children travel long distances at lunch time to go home and eat, this will also encourage your children to love school simply because you give him/her plus his/her school time.

These days most of the schools have made it a must or rule for children to eat at school, it’s impossible for children to study and grasp on hungry stomachs, even us adults can cope very well on hungry stomachs, you wake up in the morning, go to the garden and when you retire at a round 10:00am and return home, your stomach starts making weird sounds due to hunger, now what about our children who spend most of their time at school. So I am requesting parents to find means and ways to make their children love going to school or attaining education.

Parents should regularly call and give their children audience in case they lack a particular scholastic material, instead of barking and shouting at them when they ask for a material they lack or in case the one they had is used up or over, parents should speak calmly and tell the children that they would provide for example, the book when they return home from school in the evening in case there is no money at that particular time instead of barking “I don’t have money” all the time, when a parent uses the former instead of the latter, this brings the child closer to the parent and school at large, because the parent shows that he/she cares and understands the reason why the child is asking and needs the scholastic material he/she is requesting for.

MODERATOR:  So speaking in calm and empathetic tone has a way it strengthens the parents’ role in boosting the children’s education!

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: Yes it does.

MODERATOR: So what measures do you think can be put in schools to help strengthen the parents’ role in boosting the education of our children?

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: I think the first measure that can or should be put in place is, strengthening or creating a good relationship (friendship) between the parents and the teachers, then the teachers and the children, in that when there is a good relationship or when there is harmony among the different groups of people mentioned above, that chain helps in strengthening the parents role in boosting the education of the children, because each group keeps the other posted and up to speed in case of any development or when need arises, like when a teacher notices a change in the child’s behaviour at school or incase the parent also notices a change in behaviour at home, there can be small meetings between 1 to 3 people to discuss about matters concerning a particular child, and so many other examples.

One of the reasons why children are dropping out of school is because most of them are paraded and talked about at assembly, in the whole school and community at large, when they misbehave or behave badly, this makes the child feel unworthy, and uncomfortable at school hence dropping out, yet in such matters, the deputy, head teacher, parent and child should be called so that matters should be discussed and dissolved among a few people than the assembly in front of the whole school community as a remedy.

I also ask that this Non-Government Organization (Elevate) should not only work towards the boosting of the education of children but also get or create some time to educate or teach the parents at schools, the value of education and why they should help their children go to school, because they have a tendency of telling the children that it’s up to them “whether they go to school or not because they are studying for themselves not the parents”, so the parents themselves are not bothered, this message is not healthy because after the child asking him/herself the question of “why am I really going to school”, loses interest and drops out because the parents are not encouraging and motivating him/her.

So I am giving to the parents out there this message, that a “child who goes to school belongs to all of us” because when that child grows up and get a good job/office, he/she ends up helping all of us in one way or the other, directly and indirectly through lobbying, creating employment opportunities, and if he/she is a worker in government, bringing services like borehole for fresh water, good roads, etc. closer to the people.

Teachers should also call for particular parents of children in case they are going astray or leaving the right or correct path, for intervention before the situation becomes unsolvable, whatever issue may be preventing the child to prosper, if it’s, for example about discipline, a child lacking uniform, in case a child is not eating porridge but the rest of the colleagues are, etc. for those issues to be solved as an incentive.

MODERATOR: But parents are called to schools but some don’t want to show up.

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: Yes, but like I said earlier on that there are some parents who don’t know why their children go to school, and they see school as an opportunity to get rid of his children maybe because they are stubborn, or that parent doesn’t want to be disturbed so he/she just sends them to school to get rid of them but not with the aim of attaining an education, they even tell the children that “let me take you to madam Zuena, she is the one who will manage you for me” but I for one know that the things you teach or impart in your children at home, the teachers just add on or build on the foundation that you started yourself.

MODERATOR: Okay, there is something that madam Taaka wants to add on.

TAAKA PENINNAH: My addition is that there are some parents who don’t want to attend meetings even when called upon to do so, so some of the parents who show up, discuss matters and issues with the head teachers, and some parents contribute at that particular meeting and reach a time when resolutions or decisions have to be made, the present parents negotiate and find solutions to pressing issues and matters, now when the parents who didn’t attend hear about the new resolutions and decisions, they rebel and are discontented with what has been decided, so I am requesting that the teachers should help if we are to solve this problem so that parents are in harmony with their colleagues, by sending each child with a letter inviting his/her parent, even the chairman L.C 1 should also take the initiative and remind parents when he/she meets them anywhere in the community, about the meetings called by the school, that has been my addition.

MODERATOR: Okay, that is good, but all I know is that even though the teachers write those letters, some parents still deliberately refuse to attend, and some children may also not be able to ensure that these letters reach their parents in time, in that some children may forget to give the letters to them or they may either loose or misplace them, but you never know, the method of writing invitation letters may work in schools where they have never been tried before.

TAAKA PENINNAH: Yes, I know that method will definitely work.

MODERATOR: Mr. Kadunga, you were still saying something before madam made that addition to your point, please continue!

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: Let me also talk about the letters written by their teachers to send to their parents, the children may deliberately fail or refuse to give the letters to their parents in most cases, when that particular letter is reporting about that particular child’s misbehavior or indiscipline nature, but for a child who is wise, if the teacher tells him/her that this particular letter is about the issue of you children eating at school, and that him/her should take it their parent, that child cannot fail to take that letter to his/her parent.

So dear parents, these children are all ours, we should stop telling these children that they are studying for themselves and it’s up to them whether they go to school or not, because a child studies for his/her village, his/her country Uganda and for the whole community at large, when the child becomes a leader, he/she will help all members of society without any segregation, so parents should change their mentality from being the one that barks or is irritated incase a child asks for requirements like school uniform by saying things like “ why should I provide or buy a uniform yet we used to study in casual clothes during our days, if you don’t want to study simply because you have no uniform, you can sit at home”  to the mentality where he/she knows its hi/her own responsibility to talk gently and provide the missing scholastic materials and requirements when called upon to provide.

Most of these teachers, because they went to school and studied psychology and children behaviours know, what’s best for these children, so parents should listen carefully and act accordingly in case a teacher tells them something, simply because some of the parents didn’t go to school and its evident because there some people in community who are live examples, some of them grew up in poverty stricken homes but because they went to school, they managed to attain and afford a good life plus also raise the statuses of their families from bad to good, so we give these examples to these children to change their mentality about school at large.

Back then, when we were still going to school, teachers at school would individually ask us one by one, what we wanted to be when we grow up, and we would only give good and prominent answers like lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc. so we parents should start asking for those are not doing it, and continue asking our children for those who are already doing it, in order to start shaping their futures, so that a child starts chasing that particular dream at a young age.

For example, one of my children wants to be a lawyer, there is one who wants to be a doctor and other professions, so I have to fight and struggle straight form primary school to smoothen his/her journey to which ever profession she/he wants to be in the future, by playing my part of providing requirements, scholastic materials plus motivation and encouragement.

MODERATOR:  Yes, you have to provide the encouragement, motivation plus continuously reminding and asking the child what he/she wants to become in the future/

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: And something else is, when a parent is perusing through a child’s books, he/she should not do it with a stick or cane, you scare the child by saying “how can you also fail this easy question”, in most cases a child fails due to various reasons, one may be that the teacher didn’t explain that particular content properly, and failing is not an abomination, its normal because even us parents, a child may ask you for an answer that you may not know, but a clever child doesn’t leave a blank space, he/she rather fills in the wrong answer and its crossed, this will provide him/her with a chance to get the correct answer during corrections, all as part of the learning experience, but you find someone abusing a child because he/she has failed just one question by uttering insults like “how can you fail such a simple question, stupidity is from your clan and your family just inherited it because your ancestors were also stupid and dull”. These insults and utterances end up demoralizing the child and making him/her lose morale in his/her education.

Teachers have a tendency of flogging pupils simply because they have failed a question, instead of correcting the child by giving him/her the right answer, plus a warning that he/she will be disciplined if him/her fails that same exact question, they just beat or flog that child without even giving the child the correct answer yet this teacher knows it.

In Idudi P/S, there was an incident where a female teacher used to stand in front of the class attending to pupils but with a cane or stick by her side, this tense environment she had created was not healthy for the pupils, because the children would always be under pressure instead of paying attention to what she was teaching, the children would be afraid to contribute or raise their hands in case she asked or posed a question, because they knew once they got the answer wrong, they would be beaten, so let’s not use the cane but love and empathy when teaching our children, let’s not tell every one of our children’s short comings, because some parents have a tendency of telling the whole village how their children are so stupid that they were the last in the classroom, or they failed a particular test or exam.

Once we create a loving, caring and nurturing environment when our children don’t perform as expected of them, our children will be open and transparent to us, he/she may tell you that the reason he/her didn’t perform well in a particular subject is because a particular teacher abuses him/her in class, or that that teachers says that even though “I give her my book to check or mark, it will not make a difference because I am stupid”, all this can be attained when a parent creates a soothing environment, but a parent who does the opposite will not get such openness and transparency from his or her child.

That’s why I am telling my fellow parents out there, that education is the key, because it can elevate someone form the lowest level and makes him/her feast with kings, or live a very good life, everything is possible through education, so please take the initiative ensure your child goes to school.

MODERATOR: Okay, thank you sir, madam Taaka, Mr. Kadunga has talked about perusing through the children’s books, do you look through or peruse through your own children’s books, in which time and what do you do next? Take us through the whole exercise.

TAAKA PENINNAH: When they leave school for home in the evening, I first let them eat something, they engage in some small chores that may be around at that particular time, but once it reaches 6:30pm, I tell them to bring their books so that I can check and peruse through them, and I start on one by one’s book, anything that the child doesn’t know or didn’t understand, he/she is free to ask when it comes to homework, when I know the answer, I give it to them, once I don’t know, I tell them to wait for their father to return home from work, in a good and calm tone, all in a healthy and positive environment for learning with joy and laughter inclusive.

I am advising my fellow parents that when it comes to matters concerning education, we should not involve anger and hostility, let’s create an atmosphere that is learning friendly, through this, we shall mold our children into what we want them to be.

MODERATOR: Okay, thank you madam for that insight, we are going for a short commercial break of s few minutes and when we return, our dear listeners will be able to call in and interact with us here in the studio plus the other listeners out there, you will call us on the following numbers 0776 989 906 and 0757 906 906 as we continue to discuss about how we can strengthen the parents’ role in boosting the education of our children.

SHORT COMMERCIAL BREAK

MODERATOR: Like you have heard, we hold the knowledge in ensuring our children receive the best or ideal education, it’s now time for the callers to call in and interact, share and comment about the theme of today’s show, I will repeat the phone numbers, you can reach us on the following numbers 0776 989 906 and 0757 906 906, please callers when you go through tell us your name and where you are calling from.

1^st CALLER

PETER FROM NABUGANGA: I first want to appreciate the theme of the day, secondly still on the same theme, the people who are responsible for the decline in the standards of education are at times, parents.

MODERATOR: How are the parents responsible for the decline in the standards of education and what can they do to rejuvenate the standard of education?

PETER FROM NABUGANGA: Instead of the parents encouraging and motivating their children to go to school, in order to become important and prominent persons in the nation, he/she tells the child that his/her education will only benefit him/her simply because by the time the child becomes successful, the parent would have died a long time ago, they go on to point out someone in the community who didn’t go to school but he/she is rich, and use that as an example and tell the child to stay home because that particular person  didn’t go to school but he/she is doing well. So I am encouraging all Ugandans to motivate and encourage their children to go to school.

MODERATOR: Okay thank you very much, let’s get our next caller

2^nd CALLER

BASALIRWA SOWALI FROM BUVUMA: Thank you for running this radio station and bringing those guests in the studio, I am also appreciating the theme of the show plus thanking the guests for educating or putting the message out there, it’s true that some parents are so harsh and bitter when talking to their children concerning matters of their education, even when a child has a an indiscipline case, instead of going and talking to the teacher so that he/she explains thoroughly and clearly, the parents just goes and starts shouting, raising his/her voice and arguing with that particular teacher.

So I am requesting that, we should try hard to see that there is a strong relationship or friendship between the teacher, parents and children at large because those three represent the three stones that are required to start a fire in the local stove and cook food, so they should live and work in harmony for the success of the education of our children, thank you very much.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Mr. Basalirwa.

3^rd CALLER

RICHARD FROM KANANA VILLAGE MAYUGE DISTRICT: Thank you for those wonderful guests in the studio, on today’s theme, some parents are the reasons why their children don’t go to school, when you ask a particular parent for scholastic materials in order to go school, he/she makes contradictory statements and these statements lead the children to drop out.

MODERATOR: So what should we do, to strengthen the parent’s role in boosting the education of our children, what’s the way forward?  

RICHARD FROM KANANA VILLAGE MAYUGE DISTRICT: The local council leaders like the LC I should ensure to talk to the parents to stop abusing and shouting at their children, because the more you shout at a child, the lower his morale and zeal for school, thank you for the wonderful show,

MODERATOR: Okay thanks for calling as well.

4^th CALLER

CAPTAIN GARATI FROM KASAMBIRA: What has really spoilt the children is situations where for example the children’s biological mother died and they are staying with their step mother, even when these children report to their father when he reports from work in the evening about their step mother torturing or mistreating them, the father doesn’t really believe that his wife is capable of torture, and may think that the children are slandering his wife simply because of the much love that he may have for her.

Once a child realizes that the father doesn’t trust him/her but trusts the words that are coming from his/her step mother, this makes the child lose morale and interest in activities and undertakings that would impress the father, like going to school and getting good grades, being disciplined, and others.

MODERATOR:  So what can be done to ensure that these parents that fall under that category get back in line?

CAPTAIN GARATI FROM KASAMBIRA: What can be done to help these children is to continuously educate and counsel our parents about their roles and responsibilities in the upbringing of their children, kind of what you people are doing right now in the studio.

MODERATOR: Okay, thank you very much sir.

5^th CALLER

DENNIS OBUA FROM KAMULI DISTRICT: Now, from my own perspective because I am also a child, we need to be educated by our parents, and what I can add on to that is that, a parent who does not take the initiative to educate his/her children is spoiling his/her own future, thank you very much.

MODERATOR: You are welcome and thank you as well for calling in.

6^th CALLER

SURPRISE: I blame the teachers, because in most cases, they arrive in class, and shout or bark at the children, these children instead of being comfortable and paying attention in class to what he/she is teaching, instead experience fear, pressure and tension whenever that teacher enters the classroom. I also want to request the parents to provide some extra time for their children in terms of perusing and imparting some extra, simplified explanations instead of barking and abusing, because in some cases, the child may not understand a particular subject matter from the teacher but grasps it perfectly from the parent instead.

7^th CALLER

MAWERERE FRED FROM BUYENDE KITUKIRO: We thank you for bringing that wonderful program to us, because it is continuously removing people from the ignorant state and turning them into well informed people, the only problem we face is that some of our fellow parents don’t take education seriously but take it for granted, if they took it seriously they would have also become teachers of their children at home, and help give them an extra hand to boost their performance. Even when a child goes back home and tell him/her that we have been sent home because we didn’t take maize to enable us feed, that parent will just send that child back, not realizing that a child cannot study and grasp content, on a hungry stomach.

8^th CALLER

RICHARD KITIKO FROM BUVUMA: I appreciate your presentation; let me also talk about the theme of the show, sometimes the parents may have desire and love to educate their children but when he/she is poor and cannot afford to do so because of the un friendly economic climate, which is comprising of famine, inflation, etc. some schools have a tendency of demanding for zero balance yet some parents can only afford to pay school dues in installments, so the more the child is sent home despite the parent asking for more time, the head teachers also claim the requirements that are used at school are also too expensive and they want the dues all cleared, it becomes tiring and makes that parent plus the children loose morale when there is nothing to do.

MODERATOR: Okay, what can you, as a parent do to ensure that your child studies?

RICHARD KITIKO FROM BUVUMA: The only thing we can do is to pray to God and ask for his intervention during this harsh economic climate, because it’s true that education is the key and people who have studied are doing far better than those that didn’t go to school, that has been my contribution to the show, I want to request the people of Buvuma to keep on listening to this radio station, thank you very much.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much Richard from Buvuma.

9^th CALLER

OTIM RONALD FROM GALILAYA: We have the love to educate our children but there is just one problem, you reach at the school and the teachers are seated idly during class hours in the school compound, it’s really demoralizing.

MODERATOR: But when you reach the school and the teachers are seated idly under the trees, are the classes empty or there are children in them during that time?

OTIM RONALD FROM GALILAYA: When the children are idle in the classrooms making noise unattended to, during teaching hours.

MODERATOR: What can we do to solve that problem?

OTIM RONALD FROM GALILAYA: I personally think there is a weakness in the inspectors of schools, if they could only take the initiative to regularly and randomly inspect and visit these schools, maybe that would help to solve that problem, because they would be afraid of being caught outside the classrooms during teaching hours, we are trying so hard as parents to provide the scholastic materials and requirements but we get so disappointed with this prevailing condition in our schools.

MODERATOR: Okay thank you Sir.

10^th CALLER

MUBA RONALD FROM BUYENDE: Now moderator, the problem is coming from 3 areas, one of the guests in the studio has said that you need three big stones in order for you to cook on a local man made stove, but from my perspective, this includes the government, the parents and the teachers, those three parties have to strongly take on and carry out their responsibilities.

The parents have played a very big role in preventing and limiting the children in attaining an education or going to school, because for example a P.1 child cannot go to school from 7:00am to 1:00pm which is the time they usually go back home without eating something, and you expect them to grasp what is being taught in the classroom, yet when you as an adult, don’t eat anything by 10:00am, you reach an extent of running mad until you eat something.

The government should also take the initiative because the quality of teachers in the schools is also not that good or up to standard, that also matters a lot, because there are some schools in the villages where you cannot comfortably take your children, because of the poor quality of teachers, you find a teacher going to school as late as 9:00am, then you ask yourself, at what time do lessons start?, this shows that that particular teacher doesn’t know his/her own responsibility, hence the service that this teacher is giving to the children not up to standard. Teachers are supposed to be exemplary but now if he/she is being the opposite, are the children supposed to emulate or copy that same “terrible time management”?

Then the children themselves should constantly and regularly be exposed to counseling, encouragement and motivation by showing them the benefits of education, using live examples that lead the child to pick up the interest and make a choice to go to school instead of sitting at home.

Moderator, the gentleman in that studio has stressed a point that parents have the tendency to wholesomely blame the government, yet they themselves have not taken up their responsibilities or played their part, domestic violence or disruptions in the families has also played about a very big role of about 60% in taking education away from our children, because some parents leave home in the morning, leave their children in bed, come back late in the evening and don’t take the initiative to find out whether their children went to school that day or not, once the child asks for a book form the parent, he/she will respond by asking what the child has done for him/her since morning to deserve the book that he/she is requesting for, the child also loses interest and decides to sit at home.

MODERATOR: Mr. Muba, what do you think can be done or put in schools to ensure these children attend regularly and also to strengthen the parents’ role in boosting the education of their children?

MUBA RONALD FROM BUYENDE:  The government has inspectors; it should use these inspectors to visit these schools regularly by choosing particular school days (Monday-Friday) of the week to put things right in these schools.

MODERATOR: The inspectors or the parents!

MUBA RONALD FROM BUYENDE: The inspectors because I have given you an example of teachers who arrive at school as late as 9:00am on a daily basis, yet in actual sense, at that time lessons are supposed to have started a long time ago, a long time ago, when I  was still studying in Buyende, in P.4 class, when the teachers knew that the inspector would show up on that particular day, the teachers would all arrive very early, even the ones who would come late, because they wanted the inspector to find them at school in the classroom teaching, so the government has also relaxed or not told these inspectors to regularly do their jobs.

MODERATOR: Okay, thank you Mr. Muba, let me thank all the people who have called in and shared with us, let my guests in the studio react and disintegrate some of the information given to us by the callers, one of the callers has called and said that food is cooked on a local stove that requires 3 big stones, you need all three not less, which is translated that the three big stones or rocks represent the government, the parents and the teachers but today, our main focus is on the parents, we want to continue and understand the other things that can be done, another caller said that some step parents bring about divisions in the family and create  a big gap between one of the biological parents and his/her children, Mr. Kadunga what can you comment about that point?

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: All I can say about that point is that has been mentioned by a caller who called himself captain; we have seen this issue very many times in our communities, these days once a biological mother leaves a home, a parent dies and other scenarios, in most cases if that parent was wealthy or rich and these children were studying in very high standard schools like Busoga college butiki, the remaining parent is forced to improvise and ends up taking the children to low standard or sub-standard schools in the village, because that’s what he/she can afford at that particular time, that factor demoralizes the child and he/she may drop out because of the drop in the standard of the school he/she is forced to attend.

Still on the same issue, it depends on the nature of a particular person, because some step parents tend to be very good to their step children, we have seen prominent people who claim they never got a chance to see their biological parents, but give credit to their step parents as being responsible and the reasons why they attained a good education, some were completely orphans and may have been picked or adopted by some pastors or well-wishers, but these people ensured that these children went to school and yet  the rest of the step or foster parents tend to be harsh and hostile towards their step or foster children, may put blockades in their step or foster children’s attainment of a good education, we have all seen these scenarios but the point is, how we are  going to find remedies to these other harsh step parents!

From my perspective, any parent who prevents or puts blockades in the path of their step children’s attainment of an education is not a true parent, so my message to all parents out there, is that whether the child is biologically yours or not, we should ensure that they go to school and attain a good education, because if that child “makes it” and is buying things or material items in the future like sugar, soap, etc. to take home, he/she will not discriminate, however much they say, that that’s a particular parent’s child, you as the step parent will also be in that particular home and will benefit either directly or indirectly.

MODERATOR: If a person has a child that he/she is taking care of, whether he/she is biologically yours or not, a care taker or guardian, you automatically qualify to be referred to as a parent.

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: Yes, that’s what I am trying to say, that anyone who neglects a child that he/she stays or lives with, doesn’t give a child morale and zeal to go to school because he/she doesn’t know why the child goes to school, he/she does it because of two reasons, , some think that if the child goes to school and becomes successful, that child will become rich and I will not have any control or leash on him/her anymore and he/she may mistreat or psychologically torture me, or simply out in most cases, these people know the value of education but just have evil hearts and don’t want their step children to prosper, so they choose to neglect these children on matters concerning education. Some actually don’t know the value of education and just need to be counseled and taught about the values and benefits of education.

Mr. Richard Kitiko also said that, you find someone who is wealthy and doing so well but he/she didn’t go to school, this person’s child or children will not have a reason to study, simply because despite their parent not attaining an education, he/she is doing well, so the children will not have any encouragement and motivation to study, you even find these people’s children on the streets and in centres lollygagging, taking part in mischievous activities like taking drugs, loitering and trespassing in people’s compounds, gambling (betting) and misleading peoples young girl children during school days or class hours, all this simply because you as a parent didn’t encourage, motivate and give them viable reasons why they should go to school.

Some parents think that educating a child or taking him/her to school is only about paying and clearing all school dues and then seat back and relax, thinking they have played their part, which is wrong because after paying, counsel the child by telling him/her that “I want you to go to school so that you may not be like me, your father, who didn’t go to school, so that you live good lives”, in fact other parents make sure they go or attend graduation ceremonies in the community with their children, however young they may be, once these children see the graduates dressed in the cloaks or gowns, receiving presents, hugs from comrades or fellow graduates who have attended the colleagues ceremony, and cutting the cake with bottles of soda placed on their tables, this is the chance the parent has to tell his children that “if you also go to school, you will get to wear the  gowns, receive presents or gifts and the cut the cake”, this will eventually motivate the children to go to school in order to attain what they have observed at the function/ceremony.

If you have money, pay all school dues to zero balance but cannot engage, motivate and encourage your children to go to school, you are equivalent to a person who grows rice in the swamps but doesn’t know that after the rice becoming ready or ripe for harvesting, he/she must also take it to the mill for processing, it eventually becomes spoilt or rotten and the farmer ends up incurring loses simply because he/she doesn’t know he/she farmed it in the first place.

MODERATOR: Okay as we conclude the show, send a conclusive message to the parents out there and send out greetings to two people.

KADUNGA MUHAMMED:  The village where the school is located is called Mufumi but we call the school Idudi P/S, but let me first inform my fellow parents who take their children to that school that last year, we got a chance of praising and being proud of our school because it was the best performing primary school in Idudu Town Council, it’s a good school, children who study there don’t fail to succeed or get good grades, it listens and acts accordingly towards finding solutions to parents’ issues and problems concerning children, because I  have been a parents of that school for a long time, but I have never heard of an incident where the teachers are fighting with the parents or the teachers fighting with the pupils, we also grew up when that school was is in existence, so it’s not new, but has a very firm and old foundation when it comes to performance.

So I want to encourage parents in the same or outside the vicinity where the school is located to bring or enroll their children in our school, it’s completely safe, or any other school, please don’t leave our children in the villages because in today’s world, a child who doesn’t go to school will not exist beyond the boundaries of his her community, and that education can take them places that you didn’t even think they would ever visit or live in.

MODERATOR: Okay, send greetings to two people.

KADUNGA MUHAMMED: Let me send greetings to my mother, Mutesi Aisha who stays at Walanga and greetings also go to my other mother, Mutesi Namasoga in Nabilere.

MODERATOR: Okay, thank you very much, madam Taaka, you also give us your concluding remarks, what you have learnt in today’s talk show, some encouraging and motivating messages to the parents out there, then send out greetings to  two  people as we conclude the show.

TAAKA PENINNAH: Thank you very much madam, I am speaking on the side of the female parents, some of us end up marrying men who already have children who they live with, in homes or houses that we end up in, your husband may have love and zeal to educate his children that you found in that particular home, but you may want to prevent or put blockades in the way of the man educating his children, I am encouraging and requesting these particular women to reconsider and have a change of heart, because, you find these children without a mother and  you decide to  become their step mother, you become their parent and must take the initiative to help these children attain an education, once the children approach you in case they lack a particular requirement or scholastic  material, please take the initiative to provide, if you don’t have, at least ensure to tell their father to provide that particular item, it may be a pen, a book, a pencil, etc. to smoothen their life at school.

My next request goes to the local leaders or the chairpersons of the villages, when there is a person who lives with or takes care of children in a home but that particular person is not taking the initiative to help the child by either counseling, providing scholastic materials and sending them to school, when that person  doesn’t  send that child to school, he/she is spoiling that child’s future, and the community will not be able to benefit from that child, so the community members and the local leaders should take or report that person to the authorities (police), to act as an example to the rest of the community members who take the education of their children for granted, as a way of strengthening the parents’ role in the boosting of the education of our children, that’s all I had to say.

MODERATOR: Okay, send greetings to at least two people.

TAAKA PENINNAH: I first want to send greetings to and appreciate our dear head teacher of Izira Baptist P/S, madam Kasowole Florence, for selecting and giving me the opportunity to come to the studios of Busoga One in order to be a part of today’s talk show, may the Lord reward you so that you live long and healthy life, I also want to send greetings to my dear husband Kyakulaga Charles who takes care of me and has also accepted me to come to the this radio station’s studio, May the Almighty God grant all your wishes.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much my guests, we have learnt a lot from you two, plus all the callers out there who have called in and contributed to the show, we have learnt that everyone, community members, either biological or not are parents when it comes to matters that concern the education of our children, and love is very important in ensuring the effective education of our children because most of the callers have emphasized on the point of love, please take the initiative to peruse through their books, help them add on or understand better at home once you have the time with them, find out the trends in their performances, the content that your children are studying, and find solutions to your children’s problems that may hinder them from performing well or getting good grades.

You as a parent are a teacher to these children whether you went to school or not, and it’s very important to create friendship between the parents and the teachers, for easier communication in case the parent needs to find out how his/her child is performing, like one of the callers talked about the three big stones required to cook a meal, the government being one of the stones, then the parents plus the teachers. The government expects us to carry our responsibilities as parents by providing scholastic materials, requirements, regularly visiting the schools to find out how our children are performing, attending meetings organized in schools, just as it’s carrying out its own of providing the UPE funds, sending the inspectors, renovations, etc.

The local leaders in the villages should also carry out their roles of educating and counseling the parents, who don’t know the value of education in order for them to become informed and take the education of their children as their first priority, and in the end ensure that these children become successful citizens and prominent people, who will bring services to the community members, and also continue the exercise of taking their own children to school.

I want to continuously thank you all for tuning in, listening and calling in to be part of today’s show, thank ELEVATE The Partners Of Education for financially sponsoring and ensuring that we have this talk show, we shall be here again on  8^th October 2022 with a talk show of this kind, you can listen and replay these talk shows that we have been having from the beginning on our websites visit our  social media handles and websites  of Elevate Partners for education on www.elevateeducate.org, Elevate Partners of Education on Facebook and twitter @elevate ed.UG under resources, you will find all our previous talk shows that we have held from the first one to the one of today.

I am sending greetings to my colleagues of Community Concern Initiative Uganda and all the other people that we work with in this program, Serene, Sarah, Sam, Emma, Simon, all of you, plus my parents in Magamaga, those at Gabula’s grill, in case you are hungry and wish to eat something, you can visit them just across or opposite Alshafa, I wish you all a wonderful weekend, May the Almighty Lord Bless you all, thank you for listening to us, until next time.

GOODBYE