By Wilberforce Kawere and Mike Musisi-Musoke
The bishop of Mukono diocese, Enos Kitto Kagodo has issued a directive to administrators of church-run schools in the diocese to forthwith ban learners from wearing highly fashionable attires while at school. Fashionable attires banned by Bp. Kagodo include earrings, necklaces, plaited and overgrown hair styles.
In the end of term III review meeting with head teachers of church-run-schools held at St. Philip’s and Andrew’s Cathedral Mukono, Bishop Kagodo lamented that today, it is not readily easy to draw a distinction between teachers and learners and that this has in effect made learners ‘grow wings’ and started considering themselves to be at the same footing with their teachers.
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“This is the era of lustful men; we should not abet a situation where children are looked at as women by our teachers. This is not only among teachers at schools but even out there where the children pass on their way to and from schools,” the Bishop pointed out.
He said because of too much freedom, the learners have grown very arrogant, and suggested that teachers should take the responsibility to suppress this.
“At school parties, some children come in helicopters, some with three sets of clothing for changing but ours should be Christian parties where children come, eat and go home,” he clarified.
Bp. Kagodo also asked the school heads to support the diocesan construction of a cathedral by soliciting money from the students from their schools.
He therefore directed that starting next year, every primary school learner will be obliged to pay a termly sh1,000 charge for construction of the new cathedral, while secondary school learners will each pay sh5,000 towards the same cause.
The diocesan Education Secretary, Rev. Edward Sseezi Musoke reported that many learners in Kayunga district church-run schools have failed to cope owing to hunger as their parents do not pay for their lunch.
The chairperson of Mukono Diocese Church of Uganda Primary Schools Headteachers Association, Susan Wamala Serunkuuma who is the head teacher for Mukono Boarding Primary School appealed to head teachers and their teachers to participate in the 28th December cross country run for mobilising funds for construction of new Sts. Philip’s and Andrew’s Cathedral.
The head teacher for Kisowera S.S Dinah Grace Nakabuye from the same meeting was elected the chairperson of the church-run secondary schools’ association in the diocese, replacing Frederick Kawumi Mbaziira who recently retired from Mukono High School after clocking the mandatory age of 60.