Moroto high school while performing at East African Community Secondary Schools Performing Arts Festival 2024 at Wanyange Girls in Jinja City. PHOTO/ TAUSI NAKATO
Education officials from Uganda and Kenya have urged managers of different schools in East Africa to promote students’ talents.
The officials were speaking during the official opening of the East African Community (EAC) Music, Dance and Drama (MDD) festival which started on August 25 and ends on 31 at Wanyange Girls’ Secondary School in Jinja City.
It is being held under the theme Greening schools: Our responsibility towards our environment.
The Director for Basic and Secondary Education in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr Ismail Mulindwa, said talents have transformed societies and the ministry has decided to inculcate it in the new education curriculum as a way of promoting them.
“Our new curriculum is responding well with practical subjects, which include music that has been a lucrative industry for people gifted in singing,” Mr Mulindwa said on August 27, adding that Performing Art is being emphasised at all levels of education.
He warned that with the introduction of the new curriculum, any school manager not implementing it will be penalised.
He said talent promotion refreshes the learners’ minds which reduces cases of mental disturbance and strikes in schools. The competition has drawn 53 schools from Uganda and 22 from Kenya.
The Head of Directorate Development Foundation and Co-curricular activities in Kenya, Mr Nelson Sifuna, said he was encouraged when President Museveni turned up for the opening of the music festival opening in Mbale, and when President William Ruto directed that music festivals schools in Kenya be recorded for continued viewing.
Kangole Girls school from Karamoja while preparing to perform at East African Community Secondary Schools Performing Arts Festival 2024 at Wanyange Girls In Jinja. PHOTO/ TAUSI NAKATO
According to Mr Sifuna, the music festivals will cement the relationship amongst people within the EAC.
He added that because of the integration, member states should be compelled to participate in the forthcoming festivals so that competition is not only limited to schools in Uganda and Kenya.
The chairperson of MDD in Busoga Sub-region, Ms Jackeline Kalule, said schools from Kenya and Uganda turned up for this year’s competition due to differences in school calendars of the different countries in East Africa.
She said over 5,000 students from the participating schools are being hosted at Wanyange Girls Secondary School and Busoga College Mwiri, adding that the festival is aimed at promoting cultural dances, folk songs and music from different cultural settings of East Africa.
