The youth chaplain for Kampala Archdiocese’s Entebbe Vicariate, Rev. Fr. George William Ssentamu has cautioned students against engagement in sexual relations saying this is a hindrance to their studies and compromise to their good future.
“Boyfriend-girlfriend relations are time wasting and a compromise to your studies; at school you have only enough time for your books and consulting your teachers not coupling. You must know that by engaging in such activities, you are only giving the devil a chance to manipulate you,” he warned.
Fr. Ssentamu was on Saturday conducting a dedication service for Senior One finalists of St. Balikuddembe Senior Secondary School located in Ntenjeru-Kisoga Town Council in Mukono district, where he blessed the 240 candidates who are writing their examinations beginning from late this month.
The youthful and modern priest showcased a rare way of delivering his sermon in a language which attracted youngsters, spiced with music with lyrics that caught the entire congregation’s attention, for the over one-hour period his sermon took.
The priest’s mass procession kept everybody on their feet almost all the time, and now and then, it was spiced by loud clapping, chorus singing and all forms of exhibiting enjoyment , leading the priest at certain points to engage in dancing jigs.
Without mincing words, Fr. Ssentamu also known as ‘Embooko ya Yezu’ among followers, asked the students to desist from wearing tempting attires as they go for consultations from teachers, with the intention of diverting the teachers’ minds, and cautioned that this way they will be preparing their entry to the world of academic failures.
He has lamented that Ugandan society has gone to the dogs with the media portraying good things as the bad ones, and wrong things as the right ones. He therefore charged upcoming generations with the duty of correcting this situation.
“We need to put our society back on track and you are the people to do this; do good things to others and you will find yourselves on the way to heaven,” Fr. Ssentamu advised.
He also warned the parents against discussing domestic problems with the candidates saying that this will get them off track. He therefore urged them to just give the learners encouragement to the effect that they will make it come what may.
“I also don’t understand these things of the new curriculum but I am sure that the teachers of St. Balikuddembe Kisoga and their learners are well versed with it and they will have to pass because they have God’s favour,” he said.
The head teacher Lydia Lukwago Kagoya cautioned parents against jumping on the bandwagon of people lifting alleged new curriculum test papers from the social media in the name of helping their children to pass the exams.
Kagoya added that at school, they have done enough training and re-tooling for both teachers and learners which gives them confidence that the candidates will make it.
“If you give our learners those social media papers, you will only be confusing them; simply trust our word that in the last five years, we have done enough work to ensure good marks for our children especially given that they are the pioneer new curriculum candidates,” she said.
Giving further assurances to the parents, Kagoya noted that the school was far sighted and started early training of both teachers and learners, and that they have been fine tuned for best results.
The school chaplain Rev. Fr. John Mark Kato underscored the importance the school attaches to prayers, and disclosed that one fault that may lead a student to expulsion is being unreligious because he clarified, the school views unreligiousness as an act of indiscipline.
Two S.4 candidates, Kiyimba Darlton and Nabirye Priscilla Patricia hailed their teachers for having done enough to get them set for the new curriculum examinations, and said that as a school, they are assured of giving out outstanding results.