EDUCATION - Mr. J.F Kazibwe Deputy Headmaster, King’s College Budo
A COMPLETE PERSON - By Ernest Tashobya Katwesigye (Budonian)
My Budo Experience - By Ntambi John Waswa
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FEATURED: THE BUDONIAN – EDUCATION

Mr. J.F Kazibwe Deputy Headmaster, King’s College Budo

The challenge of contemporary education; character formation; from time immemorial, institutions were started to prepare the young generation to continue with the cultural values and norms of that particular community. The elders used the fire place in ancient Africa to pass on the acquired skills and knowledge so that they are not buried with them.
The whole homestead setting was an Education institution where survival skills were imparted. It was hands on practical education and real that its products were not looking for employment as they had the capacity to create them. They had the necessary character traits to preserve the core values of their society and the strength to isolate and exclude those who deviated from them. Today the “high academic standards” syndrome as in many institutions affected negatively the core values of education.

This competition for high grades grossly compromises the aspect of character formation. It’s ok in some institutions even to deviate from the acceptable standards in order to obtain the grades. The irony here is that the educators and some parents are involved in manufacturing this time bomb. As true followers of Machiavelli, it does not matter how these grades are acquired. The end justifies the means. The products of these institutions are trained to have “short cuts” to get there and in the end, the whole country and indeed the world pay the price.
It is high time that all educators reassess and rediscover the fundamental purpose of education that is to mould a product of a particular character and discipline.

The product of an institution must be able to compete internationally with core competences embodied in a particular character. The combination of competitiveness and with character creates efficiency and productivity acceptable in any trend or discipline in society. A highly skilled product minus character is havoc. Many projects which would have saved our people have been suffocated or may be rudely strangled by people with skills minus character.
At King’s College Budo, we are striving to produce generation with character traits of mutual respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, caring, honest compassion, empathy, commitment, perseverance and integrity. It calls for calculated steps to train people and make them appreciate character formation. It requires collective responsibility from all the stakeholders; educators, parents and society should physically and spiritually support this noble cause for the betterment of that society. Society as a whole should realise that not just our livelihoods but our souls are endangered unless we learn and acquire the necessary character traits.