President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has reiterated his call to the youths to fight corruption through proper channels.
“Avoid and fight corruption. You don’t have to go on the streets and riot, you fight corruption by following up government money and know how it’s being spent. Know the figures and in case there’s some misappropriation, write and report to the RDC, if the RDC doesn’t act, we have got other channels,” he said.
The President made the remarks while officiating at the International Youth Day Celebrations held at Soroti Core Primary Teachers’ College, Soroti District.
The celebrations ran under the theme: “Skills Development for enhancement of youth opportunities”.
The International Youth Day is commemorated every year on 12 August, bringing youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrating the potential of youths as partners in today’s global society.
President Museveni reassured Ugandans that corruption is easy to be dealt with as long as they work together.
“We can finish these corrupt people, they are not a big problem. All we need are facts,” he said.
The President also urged the youths and activists to insist on free education in government schools. According to President Museveni, Ugandans have refused to implement the program yet it would have helped the whole country.
“When we introduced it, we knew why we introduced it. In 1958, when we were in our area of Kyamate, Ntungamo area, the people who went to Mbarara High School were like four or five from the whole area. Many children were not going to school at all but even those who went, very few would proceed beyond Primary Six. That’s what we wanted to solve. In my view, we need the implementation of free education in government primary and Secondary schools. Those who are rich can send their children to private schools,” he explained.
“Why have leaders kept on bringing back charges in UPE schools? According to the figures I have, the children in primary schools are 11 million but the ones in secondary schools are 1.7 million. Yet the years of primary and the years of secondary are almost the same. It’s 7 years for primary and 6 for secondary. Why do you have 11 million learners in Primary and 1.7 million in secondary, where have the 9.3 million learners gone? You people, you all come from villages, go back and check how many people dropped out of school in each area.”
On the other hand, President Museveni advised the school going children to work with their parents during holidays to stabilise their homestead income.
“Many people don’t know that some of us were influenced by the way we grew up. Like in my case I was a wealth creator from the age of 4. Age of 4 my job was to look after the young cows. By the age of 8, I was looking after the big cows. The children in holidays should participate in wealth creation,” he said.
“I would advise the parents not to over exploit the children like we were exploited. My children and grandchildren now don’t have the same pressure like I had.”
The President further emphasised that when children are still in the school system, they should always participate in sports and exercises so that they are fit. He also advised that they should spend their youthful years doing useful things.
Furthermore, President Museveni encouraged the youths to embrace and understand the four principles of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) of Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Socio- economic Transformation and Democracy for their prosperity.
“After you have gone through the school system, you should engage in wealth creation through the four sectors of the economy
which include commercial agriculture, manufacturing and artisanship, services and ICT. Being a political leader or administrator is also part of the services sector but the jobs there are few. So the government jobs are not enough but the services jobs in the private sector are much more.”
The President also cautioned the youths against environmental degradation.
“The misuse of swamps must stop. The swamps are for water to feed the dry land.”
On the other hand, President Museveni commended the people of Teso for fighting poverty through commercial agriculture.
“I can see most of the people in Teso are now out of the grass thatched houses and most of them are growing citrus fruits. I have put up new people to look after the factory and we shall stabilise the market.”
The Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Hon. Betty Amongi informed the President that the theme of the celebrations resonates with the fact that skills are important for the realisation of opportunities of the youths, and it addresses the high numbers of the youths who are not in employment, not in school and not in the formal sector.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Uganda, Ms. Susan Ngongi Namondo called for renewed efforts to ensure that the 73 percent
of Ugandans under the age of 30 years are engaged in productive adulthood.
