I offered myself; I asked for it and on 5th December 2008, the members of the Uganda Veterinary Association meeting in Primrose Hall, Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala responded.
I offered to serve as President Uganda Veterinary Association 2008-2010. The members spoke loud and clear by giving me the majority of votes cast. The humble strategies I had shared with them are found in another blog.
I do take the challenge head-on and pledge maximum attention and efforts to the Veterinary profession causes. So help me God.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
YES WE CAN
In his first speech to the public at Grand Park, Chicago, as the US President-elect, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama, made an affirmation to the nation and I believe to the rest of the world that 'Yes We Can'. He had earlier used it on 8 January 2008 in his remarks in New Hampshire Democratic Party Primary Night. This has become a common phrase, at least in the mailing lists I subscribe to and the circles I socialise in. The question is, are we just borrowing words to spice up our e-mail messages or simply using the phrase in our speech to sound relevant to the talk of the moment or are we also taking heed of the deep advice in there?
It is so easy to quote from an eloquent speech but it is another thing taking time to reflect on what message the speech sent / intended to send to the rest of us, the listeners or readers.
What does 'Yes We Can' mean to you and I? I am aware that some of the readers of this blog might not have been in Chicago at the time, nor are they US citizen but wherever you were and whichever country you belong to, those words have a message for you.
In an attempt to understand it, one may look at the words individually (reductionist approach), then collectively each time doing that in some context. To Obama, there is a context; to me or you, there are possibly others. What therefore do the words singly or collectively mean to me, you, Obama and all of us?
'Yes' is an expression of agreement; word of affirmation; a positive response; etc. 'We' could mean collective responsibility as it refers to the speaker and one or more people or even refers to people in general. 'Can' may be used to imply that the necessary ability, knowledge, money or equipment to accomplish a task or do something exist.
What do these words mean collectively? They possibly suggest the need for an agreement by all of us that we collectively have the capacity to accomplish tasks to cause the change we can believe in. The phrase may also be seen as a call for responsibility with our sight on the hope for a better future.
The other question is, do you think we can derive some message from the 'Yes We Can' phrase that applies / is relevant to our context? My response is, 'Yes We Can'. You are most welcome to make comments highlighting how these words apply in your context.
It is so easy to quote from an eloquent speech but it is another thing taking time to reflect on what message the speech sent / intended to send to the rest of us, the listeners or readers.
What does 'Yes We Can' mean to you and I? I am aware that some of the readers of this blog might not have been in Chicago at the time, nor are they US citizen but wherever you were and whichever country you belong to, those words have a message for you.
In an attempt to understand it, one may look at the words individually (reductionist approach), then collectively each time doing that in some context. To Obama, there is a context; to me or you, there are possibly others. What therefore do the words singly or collectively mean to me, you, Obama and all of us?
'Yes' is an expression of agreement; word of affirmation; a positive response; etc. 'We' could mean collective responsibility as it refers to the speaker and one or more people or even refers to people in general. 'Can' may be used to imply that the necessary ability, knowledge, money or equipment to accomplish a task or do something exist.
What do these words mean collectively? They possibly suggest the need for an agreement by all of us that we collectively have the capacity to accomplish tasks to cause the change we can believe in. The phrase may also be seen as a call for responsibility with our sight on the hope for a better future.
The other question is, do you think we can derive some message from the 'Yes We Can' phrase that applies / is relevant to our context? My response is, 'Yes We Can'. You are most welcome to make comments highlighting how these words apply in your context.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
PRESIDENT-ELECT SENATOR BARACK OBAMA
Well, take it or leave it, history has been made. The first African American President has been elected in the US! I think what is special about it is that this is the first time it is happening and not quite because a black man has been elected to occupy the US white house for at least the next four years. I know anything is possible in this era so I am not surprised it happened! No, I'm not. I am simply happy that it first happened in my generation and that like Nelson Mandela, a white majority country has seen leadership qualities in a black man with lowly background. I also feel inspired and encouraged.
I strongly contemplated writing a congratulatory message to President-elect Obama (I am still nursing such thoughts). I took a deeper thought today morning about what the lines in such a letter would be. One of the paragraphs would be about abortion besides several others in reference to issues like not letting down the answered prayers of Martin Luther King Jr. and the likes.
It is common belief, at least in my circles, that US Democrats (members of the Democratic Party of USA) support abortion and it is a known fact that before Western influence, abortion was not a deliberate act in the African culture. Whenever it happened, it was attributed to influence of evil spirits invoked probably by witches and charms. Well, Obama is a Democrat and has African blood. By the way, if his father came from my (Lango) clan, Obama would be a member of my clan hence would be required to abide by all our cultural norms. The President elect is being watched closely for his next words and action on, among others, abortion, Iraq, Economy and Guantanamo Bay.
In my congratulatory message I would remind Mr. Barack Hussein Obama of the cultures and morals of his African fore fathers; the values of his African American fore fathers e.g. Martin Luther King Jr. I would do this with reference to the abortion question. By so doing I hopefully would prepare ground to request him not to support and encourage the killing (murder in cold blood) of innocent and peaceful human beings, an act 'nicknamed' abortion (to deliberately obscure the correct word 'murder').
Would he heed to this advice and go on record yet again as a US Democrat President who does (did) not support abortion? Or would he denounce the values of his fore fathers and be a spokesman for 'abortionists' (read murderers)? Let's wait and see what his reply to my request would (will) be.
By the way, talk about Presidents of African origin. It is not easy to access them hence my reluctance to send the congratulatory letter (print or e-mail). I wonder whether the US Presidents are different but I know that in many countries in Africa, such letters, especially those from hitherto 'unknown' individuals and furthermore with contents contrary to the ruling party's 'ideology', would not be seen by the President and if replied to at all, some lowly personal assistant would do that on the President's behalf. This reminds me of how it is alleged that one African President's Advisor, acting on behalf of his boss, wrote and quickly dispatched a congratulatory message to a President-elect of a neighbouring country who seemed to have, unfortunately, stolen votes. The rest of the Presidents in the neighbourhood, being very suspicious of the theft, did not send any message. To save face, the embarrassed President later disassociated himself from the message! Double embarrassment!
If I send the congratulatory message to Mr. Obama, I will do it myself and definitely not deny it and I will get you informed. I think it is time I sought your opinion. Should I or shouldn't I?
I strongly contemplated writing a congratulatory message to President-elect Obama (I am still nursing such thoughts). I took a deeper thought today morning about what the lines in such a letter would be. One of the paragraphs would be about abortion besides several others in reference to issues like not letting down the answered prayers of Martin Luther King Jr. and the likes.
It is common belief, at least in my circles, that US Democrats (members of the Democratic Party of USA) support abortion and it is a known fact that before Western influence, abortion was not a deliberate act in the African culture. Whenever it happened, it was attributed to influence of evil spirits invoked probably by witches and charms. Well, Obama is a Democrat and has African blood. By the way, if his father came from my (Lango) clan, Obama would be a member of my clan hence would be required to abide by all our cultural norms. The President elect is being watched closely for his next words and action on, among others, abortion, Iraq, Economy and Guantanamo Bay.
In my congratulatory message I would remind Mr. Barack Hussein Obama of the cultures and morals of his African fore fathers; the values of his African American fore fathers e.g. Martin Luther King Jr. I would do this with reference to the abortion question. By so doing I hopefully would prepare ground to request him not to support and encourage the killing (murder in cold blood) of innocent and peaceful human beings, an act 'nicknamed' abortion (to deliberately obscure the correct word 'murder').
Would he heed to this advice and go on record yet again as a US Democrat President who does (did) not support abortion? Or would he denounce the values of his fore fathers and be a spokesman for 'abortionists' (read murderers)? Let's wait and see what his reply to my request would (will) be.
By the way, talk about Presidents of African origin. It is not easy to access them hence my reluctance to send the congratulatory letter (print or e-mail). I wonder whether the US Presidents are different but I know that in many countries in Africa, such letters, especially those from hitherto 'unknown' individuals and furthermore with contents contrary to the ruling party's 'ideology', would not be seen by the President and if replied to at all, some lowly personal assistant would do that on the President's behalf. This reminds me of how it is alleged that one African President's Advisor, acting on behalf of his boss, wrote and quickly dispatched a congratulatory message to a President-elect of a neighbouring country who seemed to have, unfortunately, stolen votes. The rest of the Presidents in the neighbourhood, being very suspicious of the theft, did not send any message. To save face, the embarrassed President later disassociated himself from the message! Double embarrassment!
If I send the congratulatory message to Mr. Obama, I will do it myself and definitely not deny it and I will get you informed. I think it is time I sought your opinion. Should I or shouldn't I?
Friday, October 24, 2008
THE UNTAPPED POTENTIAL IN NSSF
A lot has been said in the Ugandan press about the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) lately especially focusing on the so-called 'Temangalo land deal' in which a cabinet Minister's family company sold land to the NSSF in a manner that is claimed not to have followed procurement guidelines. The press has placed so much focus on the 11 billion Uganda Shillings involved but very little on how to manage and invest the remaining trillions. The public discussion and press reports on the Temangalo deal do obscure the achievements so far made by NSSF. I find this very unfortunate. Also far remotely relegated and obscured is public debate on complementary methods of how to harness the opportunity presented by the millions of Dollars in NSSF’s coffers for hitherto unattempted national development-oriented ventures. I did send this article to two leading dailies in Uganda but I have fears that it may also not find favour in Newspaper Editors’ eyes. Thank God for personal blogs.
I do propose just one of several complementary methods of investing NSSF funds for the benefit of a wider range of Ugandans and subsequently national development.
We have lately seen a great demand (by Uganda and her citizen) for tertiary education even amidst the rising cost of tertiary education. The rise in demand is indicated by the number of applications for enrollment into universities and other institutions of higher learning including purely private tertiary institutions that are not directly subsidised by government. We have also heard the cry by many universities especially government-owned ones for the need to raise tuition to meet, at the very least, the cost of training requirements for the various courses they offer.
I also believe that it is government’s desire to train its citizen (especially at university level) and attain a critical mass of professionals. The demand for training is therefore very high, actually beyond what the existing institutions can meet. Sadly, some of the Ugandans do not get access to tertiary institutions not because of poor grades but because of their inability to afford tuition costs. This is especially true for children from the poverty-stricken and war-ravaged areas of the country.
As it is now, the NSSF situation could be described by two contrasting words at the same time: comedy and tragedy. One of the amazing comedies is that there are probably individuals who have some savings with NSSF and yet have failed or are struggling to support their biological children in university. The tragedy is that such a cycle will continue unbroken for many unless a deliberate supportive intervention is made.
While the above scenarios are playing out, there is some huge sum of money being accumulated and invested in various ways except in national human resource development. I am told that one of the factors that led to the rise of Singapore from the level of a third world country to a developed country status in 25 years is a deliberate strategic investment in human resource development. Uganda ought to learn from its ‘buddy’ of the 1960s and invest in the development of its human resource.
So on the one hand there exists the need to develop human resource and the motivation of Ugandans to acquire skills amidst inability to pay for the training, and on the other there is a growing pool of largely stable and possibly perennial fund in NSSF that ought to be partly profitably invested in national human resource development. This does not deny the fact that part of the funds is currently held in various profitable investment portfolios. Kudos to Mr. David Jamwa and his team.
Where therefore do the human resource development needs for the nation and its citizen and the presumably vast amounts of money available in NSSF and the latter’s need to invest the money meet?
I, deliberately and boldly, propose that the NSSF Management and Board considers the establishment of a well-controlled and targeted university (tertiary institution) education loan fund as one of the ways of profitably investing the NSSF fund. The benefits of such a scheme are several including, for example, human resource development for the nation (with a hopefully significant positive impact on the economy); profits for NSSF (higher interest to the fund owners – the workers); skills empowerment of a section of Ugandans who would otherwise have not accessed higher education training; a sense of responsibility inculcated in the beneficiaries of the scheme; an increased pool of job creators.
I am told that in many developed countries every willing citizen will not fail to go to university because of lack of funds. Their governments provide loans to support those who cannot afford to pay from their (family) savings. In Uganda, we may not have the capacity to do it as a government - so I think - but looking for synergies in the private sector is probably the way to go. NSSF is a potential candidate worth wooing into this noble cause.
With the little exposure I have had through my voluntary activities with a bursary scheme, with my few years of work experience in higher education and a few years’ experience with of a profitable Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO) whose profits are mainly earned through loans, I am convinced that such a scheme can be manageable and will accrue enormous benefits for NSSF and the nation and her citizen.
There is no space for details of such a project to be discussed here. Besides, there are still several begging questions. However I guess that establishment of such a scheme might call for some legal and policy paper work involving a few Government Ministries / departments, NSSF, the universities and possibly other players in the private sector. I am confident though that if this is driven by the willing heart of government, these processes would not take ‘donkey’ years.
It would also call for appropriate human resource capacity adjustments in NSSF and implemented in a piece-meal phased-out approach. An affirmative action and quota system would be an important consideration in the initial 3 to 5 years. Not because I am from a war-ravaged area but because I know the extent of need (amidst tremendous potential) in the region, I would propose a gender-sensitive affirmative action in favour of the war-affected areas of West Nile, Northern, Eastern and some parts of Western Regions of Uganda.
For God and my country.
I do propose just one of several complementary methods of investing NSSF funds for the benefit of a wider range of Ugandans and subsequently national development.
We have lately seen a great demand (by Uganda and her citizen) for tertiary education even amidst the rising cost of tertiary education. The rise in demand is indicated by the number of applications for enrollment into universities and other institutions of higher learning including purely private tertiary institutions that are not directly subsidised by government. We have also heard the cry by many universities especially government-owned ones for the need to raise tuition to meet, at the very least, the cost of training requirements for the various courses they offer.
I also believe that it is government’s desire to train its citizen (especially at university level) and attain a critical mass of professionals. The demand for training is therefore very high, actually beyond what the existing institutions can meet. Sadly, some of the Ugandans do not get access to tertiary institutions not because of poor grades but because of their inability to afford tuition costs. This is especially true for children from the poverty-stricken and war-ravaged areas of the country.
As it is now, the NSSF situation could be described by two contrasting words at the same time: comedy and tragedy. One of the amazing comedies is that there are probably individuals who have some savings with NSSF and yet have failed or are struggling to support their biological children in university. The tragedy is that such a cycle will continue unbroken for many unless a deliberate supportive intervention is made.
While the above scenarios are playing out, there is some huge sum of money being accumulated and invested in various ways except in national human resource development. I am told that one of the factors that led to the rise of Singapore from the level of a third world country to a developed country status in 25 years is a deliberate strategic investment in human resource development. Uganda ought to learn from its ‘buddy’ of the 1960s and invest in the development of its human resource.
So on the one hand there exists the need to develop human resource and the motivation of Ugandans to acquire skills amidst inability to pay for the training, and on the other there is a growing pool of largely stable and possibly perennial fund in NSSF that ought to be partly profitably invested in national human resource development. This does not deny the fact that part of the funds is currently held in various profitable investment portfolios. Kudos to Mr. David Jamwa and his team.
Where therefore do the human resource development needs for the nation and its citizen and the presumably vast amounts of money available in NSSF and the latter’s need to invest the money meet?
I, deliberately and boldly, propose that the NSSF Management and Board considers the establishment of a well-controlled and targeted university (tertiary institution) education loan fund as one of the ways of profitably investing the NSSF fund. The benefits of such a scheme are several including, for example, human resource development for the nation (with a hopefully significant positive impact on the economy); profits for NSSF (higher interest to the fund owners – the workers); skills empowerment of a section of Ugandans who would otherwise have not accessed higher education training; a sense of responsibility inculcated in the beneficiaries of the scheme; an increased pool of job creators.
I am told that in many developed countries every willing citizen will not fail to go to university because of lack of funds. Their governments provide loans to support those who cannot afford to pay from their (family) savings. In Uganda, we may not have the capacity to do it as a government - so I think - but looking for synergies in the private sector is probably the way to go. NSSF is a potential candidate worth wooing into this noble cause.
With the little exposure I have had through my voluntary activities with a bursary scheme, with my few years of work experience in higher education and a few years’ experience with of a profitable Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO) whose profits are mainly earned through loans, I am convinced that such a scheme can be manageable and will accrue enormous benefits for NSSF and the nation and her citizen.
There is no space for details of such a project to be discussed here. Besides, there are still several begging questions. However I guess that establishment of such a scheme might call for some legal and policy paper work involving a few Government Ministries / departments, NSSF, the universities and possibly other players in the private sector. I am confident though that if this is driven by the willing heart of government, these processes would not take ‘donkey’ years.
It would also call for appropriate human resource capacity adjustments in NSSF and implemented in a piece-meal phased-out approach. An affirmative action and quota system would be an important consideration in the initial 3 to 5 years. Not because I am from a war-ravaged area but because I know the extent of need (amidst tremendous potential) in the region, I would propose a gender-sensitive affirmative action in favour of the war-affected areas of West Nile, Northern, Eastern and some parts of Western Regions of Uganda.
For God and my country.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Can knowledge be transmitted from one person to another?
A colleague of mine recently, commenting on poor teaching skills by some university dons, said he heard somebody one time define a 'lecturer' as 'a person who transfers knowledge from his/her notebook to the student's notebook without either parties understanding what is in the notes'. This was said during a discussion among university dons who having admitted that some of them have very poor skills in causing learning in the students (learner), agreed to focus more on creating opportunities / environment for learning than assuming to be the 'givers' / 'transmitters' of knowledge.
That statement can attract lots of questions and hence generate quite a bit of debate. My role in this post is to ask questions that will hopefully elicit a thought process and also stimulate a fruitful debate.
In that statement and considering the context, is the word 'knowledge' rightfully used? Could it be substituted by 'information'?
Would you buy a suggestion that in this case the word 'understanding' cannot be substituted by 'learning' because the latter occurs when some experience and reflection process takes place? Some schools of thought say that learning is claimed to have taken place when behaviour changes as a result of experience and that understanding is manifested through behaviour.
What do you think?
That statement can attract lots of questions and hence generate quite a bit of debate. My role in this post is to ask questions that will hopefully elicit a thought process and also stimulate a fruitful debate.
In that statement and considering the context, is the word 'knowledge' rightfully used? Could it be substituted by 'information'?
Would you buy a suggestion that in this case the word 'understanding' cannot be substituted by 'learning' because the latter occurs when some experience and reflection process takes place? Some schools of thought say that learning is claimed to have taken place when behaviour changes as a result of experience and that understanding is manifested through behaviour.
What do you think?
Friday, September 19, 2008
How to stay happy
The Uganda Christian Veterinary Association (UCVM) was officially launched last year (April 2007). At its launch, there were local veterinarians and visiting veterinarians from Ghana, Kenya, UK and USA. They gave wonderful presentations ranging from purely technical veterinary practice topics to practice management issues (general and specific to a vet practice). They also made hands-on demonstrations to local vets and to veterinary students and also treated animals in the community together with local vets. It was a wonderful experience. I was privileged to be part of this exercise.
This year it was unique. The activities of the UCVM constituted part of the celebrations marking the World Veterinary Day. The UCVM activities run throughout the week culminating into the World Veterinary Day (26th April 2008) when the visiting vets together with the local vets went into a rural area and treated animals for free and also shared the gospel with them. The other activities included, among others, lectures by visiting veterinarians given to students and the local vets on both veterinary (technical), personal development and practice management tips.
It will be a lie if I said I will share with you everything that was presented in a single blog post. In this post I will just highlight a few of the things shared by one of the guests, Dr. Melvin Gerstener (USA), while speaking to veterinary students and veterinary colleagues. The tips shared are not relevant to vets only but are also very relevant to people in other professions as well.
On practice management, he summarised his advice in three points:
On how to stay happy, he shared the following:
Each of the bullets above requires lots of time for elaboration. You are invited to share your opinion and experiences on / related to some or all of them.
Dr. Melvin Gerstener is the owner of Highland Park Animal Hospital in Pasadena, California, USA and also a member of the Jefferson Club Board of Trustees of the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri. By the way, this is the first college / university I visited in the US.
This year it was unique. The activities of the UCVM constituted part of the celebrations marking the World Veterinary Day. The UCVM activities run throughout the week culminating into the World Veterinary Day (26th April 2008) when the visiting vets together with the local vets went into a rural area and treated animals for free and also shared the gospel with them. The other activities included, among others, lectures by visiting veterinarians given to students and the local vets on both veterinary (technical), personal development and practice management tips.
It will be a lie if I said I will share with you everything that was presented in a single blog post. In this post I will just highlight a few of the things shared by one of the guests, Dr. Melvin Gerstener (USA), while speaking to veterinary students and veterinary colleagues. The tips shared are not relevant to vets only but are also very relevant to people in other professions as well.
On practice management, he summarised his advice in three points:
- Get up and show up at your practice.
- Treat people as people - have empathy.
- Have the desire to do good.
On how to stay happy, he shared the following:
- Think before you speak; speak good things about others.
- Do not write anything down that will hurt somebody or hurt you in future especially in your medical records.
- Save before you spend.
- Give before you die.
Each of the bullets above requires lots of time for elaboration. You are invited to share your opinion and experiences on / related to some or all of them.
Dr. Melvin Gerstener is the owner of Highland Park Animal Hospital in Pasadena, California, USA and also a member of the Jefferson Club Board of Trustees of the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri. By the way, this is the first college / university I visited in the US.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Social skills: mind your language
The Bible says the power of life and death is in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21) and that reckless words pierce like a sword (Proverbs 12:18. Some people claim that God gave us one tongue because He knew how deadly it can be when we misuse it. He also knew our weaknesses in selectivity and control hence His intention to limit the number of tongues per human being. I must hasten to add though that the tongue may not necessarily be used for intended harm - actually used for intended good - but may be perceived differently.
One should know the power of the words and word combinations they use in their daily communications. I was, yet again, a victim of a careless use of the tongue / word combinations recently. I have always used the phrase "how is your life?" casually as a greeting to peers and gotten away with it. I used it to imply a casual "how are you?" but one of my interlocutors recently perceived it differently. By the way, I am sharing this experience with her full approval.
She perceived that phrase to imply that I had developed a thinking that the quality of her life was not good ('mediocre' in her words) hence my persistent querying - I had earlier used it a few times with no consequence but on the previous occasion the cumulative effect reached the threshold and hence elicited a response. Because of her perception of my words as a direct personal attack on her life, one of Newton's laws of nature (Newton's third law of motion) came into effect: ‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite re-action’. She responded in no uncertain terms assuring me of the quality of her life.
I did apologise profusely and honestly pointing out how I had gotten used to this phrase and used it casually among peers and how I meant well. Being the kind person this particular individual is, she forgave me. Upon reflection on my explanation, she later wondered why she had misinterpreted my casual phrase. I do not blame her. I consider that the burden still remains mine to know how to clearly communicate a message. Thank God this lady with a forgiving heart gave me an opportunity to clarify. Somebody else probably wouldn't have and that would greatly affect the working relationship between us.
Well, now I know better. I should select my words carefully and use my tongue wisely so as not to cause any harm or be perceived to have implied harm. May God help my weakness.
Do you find this a familiar territory? Be wise, select your words carefully so as to enhance your social skills.
One should know the power of the words and word combinations they use in their daily communications. I was, yet again, a victim of a careless use of the tongue / word combinations recently. I have always used the phrase "how is your life?" casually as a greeting to peers and gotten away with it. I used it to imply a casual "how are you?" but one of my interlocutors recently perceived it differently. By the way, I am sharing this experience with her full approval.
She perceived that phrase to imply that I had developed a thinking that the quality of her life was not good ('mediocre' in her words) hence my persistent querying - I had earlier used it a few times with no consequence but on the previous occasion the cumulative effect reached the threshold and hence elicited a response. Because of her perception of my words as a direct personal attack on her life, one of Newton's laws of nature (Newton's third law of motion) came into effect: ‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite re-action’. She responded in no uncertain terms assuring me of the quality of her life.
I did apologise profusely and honestly pointing out how I had gotten used to this phrase and used it casually among peers and how I meant well. Being the kind person this particular individual is, she forgave me. Upon reflection on my explanation, she later wondered why she had misinterpreted my casual phrase. I do not blame her. I consider that the burden still remains mine to know how to clearly communicate a message. Thank God this lady with a forgiving heart gave me an opportunity to clarify. Somebody else probably wouldn't have and that would greatly affect the working relationship between us.
Well, now I know better. I should select my words carefully and use my tongue wisely so as not to cause any harm or be perceived to have implied harm. May God help my weakness.
Do you find this a familiar territory? Be wise, select your words carefully so as to enhance your social skills.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Sigiriya rock
As you watch this space for the developing story, try out the quiz and enjoy the photos below:
You might want to check your answers here.
- Where is Sigiriya rock located?
- Of what historical significance is it?
- What aspects of the principles demonstrated in the significance of Sigiriya rock is still practised today?
You might want to check your answers here.
Some opinion published in Newspapers
I thought I should put links to some opinion I shared and were reported by some Newspapers (abridged versions). Follow the links.
- 10 reasons Makerere (University) crisis has dragged on (Published in The New Vision on Monday, 18th December, 2006).
- Guardians of animal health, public safety (Written by By Stephen Ssenkaaaba of The New Vision Newspaper on World Veterinary Day 2008).
- Animal rearing boosts incomes (Written by By Stephen Ssenkaaba of The New Vision Newspaper on World Veterinary Day 2008).
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Ghana experience II: soccer, flags and roads
I already mentioned earlier in other posts that I love soccer. How then do you expect me not to write about soccer in my recent (28 May - 2 June 2008) Ghana experience? If I should write about soccer for anything, it should be for the Africa Nations Cup / World Cup qualifiers currently running in Africa. While in Ghana, I watched (on television) the Ghana national soccer team defeat their Libyan counterparts in a game played in Kumasi, Ghana. The match was graced by the presence of the rich King of the Ashanti Kingdom. Great though the king is, he responded to an invitation by a 'mere' soccer player - the captain of the Ghana national side, Mr. John Mensah. The king got his value for time / money. I should mention that on that same day, the Ugandan side was a 1-0 victor over the Niger side (in Kampala). Please do not ask me whether there was some king in the stadium.
So what about soccer, flags and roads in Ghana? Upon my arrival in Ghana, I noticed several vehicles with the national flag hanging somewhere and somewhat on the inside of their windscreens. I first thought they were government vehicles but no government would have so many vehicles on the road at the same time. I then thought it was a national directive for all cars to carry the Ghana flags but I could not account for the ones that did not have. It later occurred to me that the previous Africa Cup of Nations was played in Ghana. Patriotism (perhaps exemplified by Comrade Kwame Nkrumah) was the reason. They were proud of their nation and also gave their full support to the national team. How sweet!
Then the roads. I love the road network (at least in Accra and Tema). I was driven on a road that was built by Nkrumah and it looks more recent than some 1 year old roads in some African countries. To me, that is yet another sign of patriotism. Any lessons to African leaders? What do they think when they visit Ghana and drive on "Nkrumah's roads" that are better than theirs? Well, they do not have shame in their vocabulary so this is not a worthwhile direction to go. Rest that case here and come back home to talk about soccer.
Uganda Cranes they are called. Yes, that is the Uganda national soccer team. If there is a better example of one making mistakes, learning from them, repenting and making good than what the Uganda Cranes did then I am not yet aware of it. After beating Niger 1-0 at home, they went away to Benin to earn a 1-4 defeat in the hands of Squirrels. The home press gave them 'stick' as expected. When the Cranes landed home, they (and the officials) apologised and promised to give the fans and the nation a treat. True to their word, on Saturday 14 June 2008 in Nelson Mandela National Stadium between 4-6pm local time they beat Angola 3-1 at home in one of their best games in years. I was on the roads in Kampala yesterday and today, but unlike in Ghana, the number of cars carrying the national flag is quite small! My dear Ugandans, we need to get behind our team (and nation) in a much more conspicuous way than we currently do.
While in Ghana, I also discovered that the young boys looked up to the Ghanaian players as role models as opposed to many in Uganda whose models are Brazilians and Europeans. The pictures of John Mensah, Michael Essien are seen on bill boards and they are in television adverts in Ghana. I must confess that I am yet to see this in Uganda. Well, they may not have made appearances yet in the World Cup but they deserve to be recognised. I am talking about Ugandan soccer players. Somebody please amplify this call.
Enjoy soccer, carry your national flag and thank God for good roads each time you come across one in Africa.
So what about soccer, flags and roads in Ghana? Upon my arrival in Ghana, I noticed several vehicles with the national flag hanging somewhere and somewhat on the inside of their windscreens. I first thought they were government vehicles but no government would have so many vehicles on the road at the same time. I then thought it was a national directive for all cars to carry the Ghana flags but I could not account for the ones that did not have. It later occurred to me that the previous Africa Cup of Nations was played in Ghana. Patriotism (perhaps exemplified by Comrade Kwame Nkrumah) was the reason. They were proud of their nation and also gave their full support to the national team. How sweet!
Then the roads. I love the road network (at least in Accra and Tema). I was driven on a road that was built by Nkrumah and it looks more recent than some 1 year old roads in some African countries. To me, that is yet another sign of patriotism. Any lessons to African leaders? What do they think when they visit Ghana and drive on "Nkrumah's roads" that are better than theirs? Well, they do not have shame in their vocabulary so this is not a worthwhile direction to go. Rest that case here and come back home to talk about soccer.
Uganda Cranes they are called. Yes, that is the Uganda national soccer team. If there is a better example of one making mistakes, learning from them, repenting and making good than what the Uganda Cranes did then I am not yet aware of it. After beating Niger 1-0 at home, they went away to Benin to earn a 1-4 defeat in the hands of Squirrels. The home press gave them 'stick' as expected. When the Cranes landed home, they (and the officials) apologised and promised to give the fans and the nation a treat. True to their word, on Saturday 14 June 2008 in Nelson Mandela National Stadium between 4-6pm local time they beat Angola 3-1 at home in one of their best games in years. I was on the roads in Kampala yesterday and today, but unlike in Ghana, the number of cars carrying the national flag is quite small! My dear Ugandans, we need to get behind our team (and nation) in a much more conspicuous way than we currently do.
While in Ghana, I also discovered that the young boys looked up to the Ghanaian players as role models as opposed to many in Uganda whose models are Brazilians and Europeans. The pictures of John Mensah, Michael Essien are seen on bill boards and they are in television adverts in Ghana. I must confess that I am yet to see this in Uganda. Well, they may not have made appearances yet in the World Cup but they deserve to be recognised. I am talking about Ugandan soccer players. Somebody please amplify this call.
Enjoy soccer, carry your national flag and thank God for good roads each time you come across one in Africa.
The Ghana Experience I: should women preach in church?
As promised in an earlier post, I share below just one of several things I experienced while in Ghana 28 May to 2 June 2008. Akwaaba! (that means 'welcome' in Twe, one of the many native languages spoken in Ghana).
I arrived in Accra on Wednesday 28 May and left on Saturday 31 May 2008 and relocated to another town, Tema, thanks to a Christian couple who are friends of mine. While in Tema, I visited many places including a progressive veterinary practice, a wonderful home (address, environment and people) and obviously a church.
I visited this Baptist church on 1 June 2008. Something worth mentioning about the church is its Sunday programme. It was unique and very interesting. I think I missed some session(s) because I got there a little late. When I got there, a guided congregation prayer session was in progress. After the prayer, the congregation split up into groups - I saw three on that Sunday: the English speaking adults, the non-English speaking adults and the kids.
I will dwell on what transpired in my group. I did, obviously, go to the English speaking adults group. In my group, a moderated discussion was held aimed at answering some questions that had been asked the previous Sunday by some members of the congregation. The questions were the familiar ones with some grey areas: How should a Christian dress? What constitutes tithe - 10% of net or 10% of gross payment? Should women preach in church?
As expected these are questions that can generate lots of debate which is capable of becoming quite heated up. Well, all I can say is that it was a lively debate that was brought to a close before ideas, opinion and Bible quotations related to those subjects were exhausted. The issue of tithe was settled much more easily and seemingly satisfactorily (my perception) than those of dress code (especially for women) and women preaching in church.
Some interesting questions were asked e.g. "If my wife came to church wearing a trouser, would she be accepted or thrown out?"; "What was Ghanaians' original dress code (men and women) - are they acceptable in the community / church today?".
After the group activities, the various categories of worshippers rejoined to form one congregation and the main service started. It was a wonderful service.
Why do I share this? It is mainly to draw your attention and hopefully interest you in thinking about the questions and giving your own position on them as you see fit or feel convicted or as told to you in your church or any other place of worship.
So, what is your position regarding the above questions?
I arrived in Accra on Wednesday 28 May and left on Saturday 31 May 2008 and relocated to another town, Tema, thanks to a Christian couple who are friends of mine. While in Tema, I visited many places including a progressive veterinary practice, a wonderful home (address, environment and people) and obviously a church.
I visited this Baptist church on 1 June 2008. Something worth mentioning about the church is its Sunday programme. It was unique and very interesting. I think I missed some session(s) because I got there a little late. When I got there, a guided congregation prayer session was in progress. After the prayer, the congregation split up into groups - I saw three on that Sunday: the English speaking adults, the non-English speaking adults and the kids.
I will dwell on what transpired in my group. I did, obviously, go to the English speaking adults group. In my group, a moderated discussion was held aimed at answering some questions that had been asked the previous Sunday by some members of the congregation. The questions were the familiar ones with some grey areas: How should a Christian dress? What constitutes tithe - 10% of net or 10% of gross payment? Should women preach in church?
As expected these are questions that can generate lots of debate which is capable of becoming quite heated up. Well, all I can say is that it was a lively debate that was brought to a close before ideas, opinion and Bible quotations related to those subjects were exhausted. The issue of tithe was settled much more easily and seemingly satisfactorily (my perception) than those of dress code (especially for women) and women preaching in church.
Some interesting questions were asked e.g. "If my wife came to church wearing a trouser, would she be accepted or thrown out?"; "What was Ghanaians' original dress code (men and women) - are they acceptable in the community / church today?".
After the group activities, the various categories of worshippers rejoined to form one congregation and the main service started. It was a wonderful service.
Why do I share this? It is mainly to draw your attention and hopefully interest you in thinking about the questions and giving your own position on them as you see fit or feel convicted or as told to you in your church or any other place of worship.
So, what is your position regarding the above questions?
Saturday, May 31, 2008
eLA 2008
'eLA 2008' is the short version of 'eLearning Africa 2008' conference. It was held in Accra, Ghana 29-30 May 2008. I was privileged to participate in it. Just like it happened one year ago in eLA 2007 (in Nairobi), I met new friends, got new ideas, attained new knowledge and got new inspiration. What remains is for me is to use them to improve my life and the life of those around me.
I should soon write specific posts on some of the the people I met, the knowledge I acquired, the things that inspired me. Web 2.0, some amazing technologies and some personalities will definitely be part of the posts. I will not be fair not to talk about the roads in Ghana, the food, the weather and the vehicles.
The trip to Ghana was not uneventful - fuel and a technical fault in the plane are the highlights that stand out. I think it will be fair to write a complete story after experiencing the return leg (I am still in Accra as I write). I am scheduled to leave Accra next week but I am already home sick so I should change my itinerary and get back home sooner. Watch this space for more about eLA 2008 and my first time in Ghana.
I should soon write specific posts on some of the the people I met, the knowledge I acquired, the things that inspired me. Web 2.0, some amazing technologies and some personalities will definitely be part of the posts. I will not be fair not to talk about the roads in Ghana, the food, the weather and the vehicles.
The trip to Ghana was not uneventful - fuel and a technical fault in the plane are the highlights that stand out. I think it will be fair to write a complete story after experiencing the return leg (I am still in Accra as I write). I am scheduled to leave Accra next week but I am already home sick so I should change my itinerary and get back home sooner. Watch this space for more about eLA 2008 and my first time in Ghana.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Arbitration: any lessons?
I love football (soccer) not only because it is the game I have played the most so far but also because it teaches us lots of lessons. The major lesson it teaches is one of my favourite subjects, teamwork.
There are several issues related to teamwork that one can pick up from a soccer game - whether as a player or simply as a spectator. Obviously there is more to learn about teamwork from the players than other participants in the game. In this post I pick on one aspect that could easily be missed since the lesson it teaches about teamwork is often blurred hence missed by many.
Any football fan following the latest games in Europe will at this point in time (time of posting) recall last night's leg of the European Champions League quarter final at Anfield in Liverpool, England. Liverpool FC were 4-2 victors over Arsenal FC (as judged by the arbiter). The Arsenal FC's manager, 'Professor' Arsene Wenger, attributed his team's exit form the competition to two poor decisions by the referees (arbiters) - one in each of the two legs. The result for the two legs is 5-3 in favour of Liverpool. That reminded me of the authority and sometimes flaws in arbitration with their associated consequences.
What has this got to do with teamwork? I believe that it is known to most (if not all) adults that in all teams there can be and actually there are conflicts. They should be expected and should not be feared. Patrick Lencioni in his book ("The five dysfunctions of a team") lists the fear of conflict as one of the dysfunctions of a team. A good team leader or team member must always expect conflicts to arise and most importantly know how to deal with them.
In my little knowledge of conflict resolution, I know that it could be a one stage process (with a good outcome) or a multistage process (that could sometimes have no good outcome for at least one of the parties).
Negotiation between the affected parties is recommended as the first step in conflict resolution. It is the one with the most promising long lasting outcome. Once this fails then third parties emerge hence reducing the chances and quality of acceptable outcomes.
The logical step following a failure in negotiation is seeking mediation. In this case the two affected parties will themselves decide and agree on an outcome without any influencing decisions from the mediator. The role of the mediator is to provide the environment for and moderation of the negotiation process. The affected parties make the decision. Should this fail, then the next logical step is arbitration.
In arbitration, the affected parties surrender their authority to arrive at a compromise decision to the arbiter. The two must now take whatever decision comes out of the arbitration process. In this case one party will always cry while the other rejoices - both cannot rejoice (at least not openly) as it may happen in the previous two steps.
That is not all. The fourth option is attempting none of the above thus outright disagreement between the affected parties. In this case, these parties can no longer work together as a team! I also believe that after arbitration, the chances of the affected parties working together (again) as a team is significantly reduced. How would you therefore choose to resolve conflict between team members? I am personally inclined to avoid the last two options - arbitration and outright disagreement.
So, what has this got to do with the soccer match referred to above?
The outcome of the alleged poor decisions by two different arbiters officiating in two different matches involving the same teams and played in two different locations in England within a space of one week strengthens my belief that arbitration may not necessarily please both parties. One referee denied Arsenal FC a seemingly genuine penalty in the first leg and one week later, in the second leg, another awarded a seemingly unconvincing penalty against Arsenal FC. Liverpool FC went away the rejoicing party while Arsenal FC cried on both occasions of arbitration supremacy.
Thanks to soccer for bringing out these lessons.
There are several issues related to teamwork that one can pick up from a soccer game - whether as a player or simply as a spectator. Obviously there is more to learn about teamwork from the players than other participants in the game. In this post I pick on one aspect that could easily be missed since the lesson it teaches about teamwork is often blurred hence missed by many.
Any football fan following the latest games in Europe will at this point in time (time of posting) recall last night's leg of the European Champions League quarter final at Anfield in Liverpool, England. Liverpool FC were 4-2 victors over Arsenal FC (as judged by the arbiter). The Arsenal FC's manager, 'Professor' Arsene Wenger, attributed his team's exit form the competition to two poor decisions by the referees (arbiters) - one in each of the two legs. The result for the two legs is 5-3 in favour of Liverpool. That reminded me of the authority and sometimes flaws in arbitration with their associated consequences.
What has this got to do with teamwork? I believe that it is known to most (if not all) adults that in all teams there can be and actually there are conflicts. They should be expected and should not be feared. Patrick Lencioni in his book ("The five dysfunctions of a team") lists the fear of conflict as one of the dysfunctions of a team. A good team leader or team member must always expect conflicts to arise and most importantly know how to deal with them.
In my little knowledge of conflict resolution, I know that it could be a one stage process (with a good outcome) or a multistage process (that could sometimes have no good outcome for at least one of the parties).
Negotiation between the affected parties is recommended as the first step in conflict resolution. It is the one with the most promising long lasting outcome. Once this fails then third parties emerge hence reducing the chances and quality of acceptable outcomes.
The logical step following a failure in negotiation is seeking mediation. In this case the two affected parties will themselves decide and agree on an outcome without any influencing decisions from the mediator. The role of the mediator is to provide the environment for and moderation of the negotiation process. The affected parties make the decision. Should this fail, then the next logical step is arbitration.
In arbitration, the affected parties surrender their authority to arrive at a compromise decision to the arbiter. The two must now take whatever decision comes out of the arbitration process. In this case one party will always cry while the other rejoices - both cannot rejoice (at least not openly) as it may happen in the previous two steps.
That is not all. The fourth option is attempting none of the above thus outright disagreement between the affected parties. In this case, these parties can no longer work together as a team! I also believe that after arbitration, the chances of the affected parties working together (again) as a team is significantly reduced. How would you therefore choose to resolve conflict between team members? I am personally inclined to avoid the last two options - arbitration and outright disagreement.
So, what has this got to do with the soccer match referred to above?
The outcome of the alleged poor decisions by two different arbiters officiating in two different matches involving the same teams and played in two different locations in England within a space of one week strengthens my belief that arbitration may not necessarily please both parties. One referee denied Arsenal FC a seemingly genuine penalty in the first leg and one week later, in the second leg, another awarded a seemingly unconvincing penalty against Arsenal FC. Liverpool FC went away the rejoicing party while Arsenal FC cried on both occasions of arbitration supremacy.
Thanks to soccer for bringing out these lessons.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Do you love your country - how do you show it?
Some of you have traveled widely and have met quite a number of good people in the countries you have been to. Do you bother to find out from them or do they tell you why they are nice to you? The reason you got was probably different from what I got recently.
For the few times I have traveled, I have met a few people I have perceived as nice to me but did not ask them why they behaved so until recently. I met this genuinely nice African (in a multi-ethnic country) who gave me something to think about. This person was very kind. One can see this obvious fact a few minutes soon after interacting with this person so the personality factor was a given. I told them they were a rare kind of person in dealing with foreigners - a special kind heart. This person told me that they had the name of their country to protect. They did this sacrificially (or is it patriotically).
How many of us behave naturally well towards foreigners as an obligation to contribute ('2 cents') towards our country's good name / reputation.
Do you love your country? How do you show it to foreigners?
This reminds me of my country's motto, "For God and my country". Ugandans ought to, therefore, do all things for the glory of God and their country. What a tall order! I think Ugandans have always been nice to foreigners as a personal conviction largely based on cultural and religious obligation rather than patriotism. We ought to think again and add a third factor - our country.
Uganda Oyee!
For the few times I have traveled, I have met a few people I have perceived as nice to me but did not ask them why they behaved so until recently. I met this genuinely nice African (in a multi-ethnic country) who gave me something to think about. This person was very kind. One can see this obvious fact a few minutes soon after interacting with this person so the personality factor was a given. I told them they were a rare kind of person in dealing with foreigners - a special kind heart. This person told me that they had the name of their country to protect. They did this sacrificially (or is it patriotically).
How many of us behave naturally well towards foreigners as an obligation to contribute ('2 cents') towards our country's good name / reputation.
Do you love your country? How do you show it to foreigners?
This reminds me of my country's motto, "For God and my country". Ugandans ought to, therefore, do all things for the glory of God and their country. What a tall order! I think Ugandans have always been nice to foreigners as a personal conviction largely based on cultural and religious obligation rather than patriotism. We ought to think again and add a third factor - our country.
Uganda Oyee!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Degree from the Market place and not the University
On Saturday 2 February 2008 I was one of those who attended a seminar organised by Akamai Uganda on goal setting. There are several things I learned from that seminar that I could (should?) share on this blog. One that I must write about immediately is the concept of a "degree awarded by the market place".
This phrase was used by one of Uganda's Dollar multimillionaire. The short and long of it is that he runs several businesses including hotel, property (real estate), telecommunication services, energy, etc. He told the meeting that for each of the businesses he gets into, he makes sure he learns a lot about it through reading books related to that business and also the experience he gains in the process of running the business. For each of his several successful businesses, he has so much knowledge that he equates it to a degree in the respective fields. He therefore, because of the success bestowed upon him by the market place, considers that the market place has found him worthy of degree awards - he passed all the tests and examinations with distinction. He believes that he has up to 9 degrees now based on how much he knows about specific businesses.
Some questions:
1-How many degrees do you have? Who awarded them to you? How much do they help you to make money and how much money?
2-How can universities tap the wealth of experience and knowledge from practicing businessmen and integrate them in their teaching curricula?
3-I believe that if one sat at the feet of this businessman (with degrees from the market place), they would get sufficient knowledge to start them off in their journey to creating wealth. How many people would become wealthy if they sat at your feet to learn from the knowledge you have gained from your degree(s)?
The advise about reading is that each of us should put aside some time everyday to read about the businesses we are engaged in. That way, we could learn and excel in our businesses and possibly get degree awards from the market place. By the way, this is not a paper award we are used to but I think it is wealth created through the success of that business.
This phrase was used by one of Uganda's Dollar multimillionaire. The short and long of it is that he runs several businesses including hotel, property (real estate), telecommunication services, energy, etc. He told the meeting that for each of the businesses he gets into, he makes sure he learns a lot about it through reading books related to that business and also the experience he gains in the process of running the business. For each of his several successful businesses, he has so much knowledge that he equates it to a degree in the respective fields. He therefore, because of the success bestowed upon him by the market place, considers that the market place has found him worthy of degree awards - he passed all the tests and examinations with distinction. He believes that he has up to 9 degrees now based on how much he knows about specific businesses.
Some questions:
1-How many degrees do you have? Who awarded them to you? How much do they help you to make money and how much money?
2-How can universities tap the wealth of experience and knowledge from practicing businessmen and integrate them in their teaching curricula?
3-I believe that if one sat at the feet of this businessman (with degrees from the market place), they would get sufficient knowledge to start them off in their journey to creating wealth. How many people would become wealthy if they sat at your feet to learn from the knowledge you have gained from your degree(s)?
The advise about reading is that each of us should put aside some time everyday to read about the businesses we are engaged in. That way, we could learn and excel in our businesses and possibly get degree awards from the market place. By the way, this is not a paper award we are used to but I think it is wealth created through the success of that business.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Ugandan Public Universities search for Professor instead of CEO
If press reports are anything to go by then Kyambogo University will wait for a little longer before they get a Vice-Chancellor (VC) and a Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC). The press alleges that there has been a low response to the adverts. I know there could be several reasons for the low response but I also think that the criteria for choosing leaders in government universities have some weaknesses. The one I am interested in commenting about at this moment is the minimum requirements for one to qualify to express interest in being a VC or DVC vis-a-vis the functions of those offices.
I believe that the functions of a VC in a university are those of a CEO and therefore the search committees should be honest and openly embark on a search for a CEO. The basic requirements should be improved upon to reflect this. Currently, the first and foremost requirement is for one to be a University Professor of a certain advanced age. To me, besides being an inappropriate criterion, it unnecessarily narrows down the sample space - we have few Professors in that narrow age bracket. Besides, among the few Professors we have in this category, there are probably very few interested in such positions. This makes the sample space even much smaller! Furthermore, although the small sample space greatly reduces the competition among the applicants, it also has the undesirable effect of reducing the probability of landing on the much needed candidate with CEO capabilities. With all due respect, not just any Professor (in that age bracket) with ambitions can necessarily competently do a VC (CEO) job in this highly competitive and rapidly evolving information age / era.
Besides, the nature of students (and some employers) and their corresponding needs and 'language' have long changed from the 'old' pre-digital accent hence calling for extreme flexibility and quick adaptability of strategies.
I strongly believe that the public universities ought to rethink and start looking for CEOs instead of looking for professors - I do not care whether the CEO is a professor or not. I believe that there is nobody who can guarantee that just by being a Professor of a certain age, one already qualifies to get onto the shortlist for a university CEO (VC). Far from it as we know that to attain professorial title one must excel in research and training in his / her discipline. Very few humble ones pick a few corporate leadership skills along the way.
A university leader need not necessarily be (technically) smarter than the people they lead but should be smart enough to get all those very smart people under his/her leadership to work together as a productive team which is responsive to the clients' needs (students, the parents, the employers, etc) and market trends (local, regional and global).
I personally would settle with a competent CEO who is not necessarily a Professor. The public university search committees ought to reconsider their criteria and focus on organisational leadership abilities rather than prestigious titles earned from showcasing portfolios of largely non-managerial achievements in specialised disciplines. I am aware this piece will make me very unpopular in university corridors and I will probably be called names but that is my opinion - I am entitled to it. I apologize though for hurting some feelings, if any.
I believe that the functions of a VC in a university are those of a CEO and therefore the search committees should be honest and openly embark on a search for a CEO. The basic requirements should be improved upon to reflect this. Currently, the first and foremost requirement is for one to be a University Professor of a certain advanced age. To me, besides being an inappropriate criterion, it unnecessarily narrows down the sample space - we have few Professors in that narrow age bracket. Besides, among the few Professors we have in this category, there are probably very few interested in such positions. This makes the sample space even much smaller! Furthermore, although the small sample space greatly reduces the competition among the applicants, it also has the undesirable effect of reducing the probability of landing on the much needed candidate with CEO capabilities. With all due respect, not just any Professor (in that age bracket) with ambitions can necessarily competently do a VC (CEO) job in this highly competitive and rapidly evolving information age / era.
Besides, the nature of students (and some employers) and their corresponding needs and 'language' have long changed from the 'old' pre-digital accent hence calling for extreme flexibility and quick adaptability of strategies.
I strongly believe that the public universities ought to rethink and start looking for CEOs instead of looking for professors - I do not care whether the CEO is a professor or not. I believe that there is nobody who can guarantee that just by being a Professor of a certain age, one already qualifies to get onto the shortlist for a university CEO (VC). Far from it as we know that to attain professorial title one must excel in research and training in his / her discipline. Very few humble ones pick a few corporate leadership skills along the way.
A university leader need not necessarily be (technically) smarter than the people they lead but should be smart enough to get all those very smart people under his/her leadership to work together as a productive team which is responsive to the clients' needs (students, the parents, the employers, etc) and market trends (local, regional and global).
I personally would settle with a competent CEO who is not necessarily a Professor. The public university search committees ought to reconsider their criteria and focus on organisational leadership abilities rather than prestigious titles earned from showcasing portfolios of largely non-managerial achievements in specialised disciplines. I am aware this piece will make me very unpopular in university corridors and I will probably be called names but that is my opinion - I am entitled to it. I apologize though for hurting some feelings, if any.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
Uganda hosted the Commonwealth Heads of State and Governments Meeting (CHOGM) in November 2007. By Ugandan standards I think it was well organised. It of course swallowed some significant amounts of money from the government coffers. Based on what I gather from the press and some two personal testimonies, while some individuals smiled all the way to the bank, others came out of it very hurt. Some business deals worked, others unfortunately did not for various reasons.
I did not gain financially (at least not directly). Maybe I was not prepared well enough to grab the opportunity. Well, all was not lost. I participated in the 'free' People's Space - an open forum to every Tom, Dick and Harriet. That should tell you that I did not have a special invite for any of the several parallel sessions that run in the air conditioned facilities in town. I grabbed the opportunity presented to me by British Council to participate in one of its sessions where I was introduced to the concept of Appreciative Inquiry.
While the name was new to me, some of the ideas and principles shared were not new so there was something to learn after all. Of what value is knowledge gained if it is not put to practice and shared? Well, if I fail to put it to practice (which I doubt), I will not fail to share it. This is the reason for this post.
Watch this space for the developing story.
I did not gain financially (at least not directly). Maybe I was not prepared well enough to grab the opportunity. Well, all was not lost. I participated in the 'free' People's Space - an open forum to every Tom, Dick and Harriet. That should tell you that I did not have a special invite for any of the several parallel sessions that run in the air conditioned facilities in town. I grabbed the opportunity presented to me by British Council to participate in one of its sessions where I was introduced to the concept of Appreciative Inquiry.
While the name was new to me, some of the ideas and principles shared were not new so there was something to learn after all. Of what value is knowledge gained if it is not put to practice and shared? Well, if I fail to put it to practice (which I doubt), I will not fail to share it. This is the reason for this post.
Watch this space for the developing story.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Etiquette for Online Outreach
Each one of you reading this blog and many others do online networking. It is important that we do it right in order to obtain optimal results. Liz Ryan provides some etiquette (netiquette) for online networking.
She states that, "Online networking is all the rage, as Internet tools make it easy for us to reach out to almost anyone who has a presence online. Lofty executives, potential clients, and future employers are within easy reach to anyone with a browser and an email account. But it won't do to rush off and start blasting off email messages to strangers -- that's a recipe for being ignored or added to an email blacklist."
Ms Ryan then goes ahead to provide five tips to get you going towards dramatically improving results of your online networking approach in her article, "The savvy networker".
She states that, "Online networking is all the rage, as Internet tools make it easy for us to reach out to almost anyone who has a presence online. Lofty executives, potential clients, and future employers are within easy reach to anyone with a browser and an email account. But it won't do to rush off and start blasting off email messages to strangers -- that's a recipe for being ignored or added to an email blacklist."
Ms Ryan then goes ahead to provide five tips to get you going towards dramatically improving results of your online networking approach in her article, "The savvy networker".
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Learning in the digital age: why and how should teachers listen to the digital natives?
As a teacher (or rather a learning process facilitator), I found the article by Marc Prensky (published in 2005), Listen to the natives, very interesting and also challenging. I attempt to give a short review of it here - I hope it encourages the readers of this blog to look for the article and also an earlier one by the same author entitled, Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.
Prensky describes the current students as 'digital natives' who are quite different from the educators, the majority of whom he describes as 'digital immigrants'. The latter, unlike the former, were not born into the digital world. He states that the current educators have slid into the 21st century (digital age) carrying with them the 'digital immigrant' accent and doing things the old way. The old way of doing things is a language that the 'digital natives' do not quite understand!
Prensky argues therefore that, to be relevant to the students ('digital natives'), the educators of today ought to listen to the students. He proposed some things that should be considered by the educators / teachers.
1-The teachers should shift gears and incorporate students knowledge and information acquired outside class in their digital lives. The teachers should also establish, by asking students, how relevant / applicable / related the information / knowledge gained in class is to the students' (digital) lives. The shift in gears should also include encouraging students to form study groups.
2-Engagement and motivation being true prerequisites for learning (as judged by Prensky), teachers ought to engage students in the (students') 21st century way. Since digital / computer games play an important role in engaging the students, designing digital games for learning would engage students in the learning process.
3-Collaborating with students through involving them in decision-making on issues that affect the learning process goes a long way in providing educators / teachers with solutions or clues to solutions to many of the thorniest education problems. The students therefore ought to be involved in discussion about curriculum, teaching methods, school organisation, discipline and assignments.
4-There is need for some flexibility on the part of teachers for example avoidance of herding (involuntarily assigning students to classes or groups). Instead of herding, adoption and adaption of one-to-one personalised instruction and providing the opportunity for students to self-select during grouping are some of the proposed alternatives.
5-Incorporation and integration of digital tools in the teaching methods / learning process e.g. Cell phones. Cell phones have very many capabilities (with several emerging ones) that can be harnessed to make them appropriate learning tools. Some countries are already using Cell phones as learning tools e.g. UK, China, Japan, Philippines, etc.
6-Since programmability is a characteristic of the digital technology, the approaches and curricula for programming courses ought to be made available to all (students) to learn and use instead of teachers taking matters into their hands i.e. creating and conducting the teaching of programming courses at prescribed times. Besides, the teachers ought to consider involving students in teaching their peers and also involving outside volunteer experts.
7-A shift from "legacy" curricula towards "future" curricula to provide more room to cover subject matter such as nanotechnology, bioethics, genetic medicine, and neuroscience ought to be considered. Involvement of experts in these fields in preparation of content tailored to students' needs and delivered through 21st century tools is essential.
8-There are two halves of students' education institution: the formal 'school' half and the informal 'after school' half. While the former is becoming an increasingly moribund and irrelevant institution, the latter is technology-rich hence expectedly busier and ought to be integrated with life in school. It is sad to note that some of the technologies used by the students 'after school' are not known to many teachers and administrators!
9-Prensky recommends a student survey of technology use. To stress the significance of this, he states, "If we don't stop and listen to the kids we serve, value their opinions, and make major changes on the basis of the valid suggestions they offer, we will be left in the 21st century with school buildings to administer - but with students who are physically or mentally somewhere else."
Prensky, a US-based teacher, shared these thoughts in 2005. I, a Uganda-based teacher, reviewed the article in 2008. I do not know when you are reading it and from where but what I know is that Prensky wrote it based on his US experience. What remains for me and you is to find out whether and how the above thoughts apply / may apply in our environment. Just like I will do, please share your thoughts with us.
Find Prensky's article here.
Prensky describes the current students as 'digital natives' who are quite different from the educators, the majority of whom he describes as 'digital immigrants'. The latter, unlike the former, were not born into the digital world. He states that the current educators have slid into the 21st century (digital age) carrying with them the 'digital immigrant' accent and doing things the old way. The old way of doing things is a language that the 'digital natives' do not quite understand!
Prensky argues therefore that, to be relevant to the students ('digital natives'), the educators of today ought to listen to the students. He proposed some things that should be considered by the educators / teachers.
1-The teachers should shift gears and incorporate students knowledge and information acquired outside class in their digital lives. The teachers should also establish, by asking students, how relevant / applicable / related the information / knowledge gained in class is to the students' (digital) lives. The shift in gears should also include encouraging students to form study groups.
2-Engagement and motivation being true prerequisites for learning (as judged by Prensky), teachers ought to engage students in the (students') 21st century way. Since digital / computer games play an important role in engaging the students, designing digital games for learning would engage students in the learning process.
3-Collaborating with students through involving them in decision-making on issues that affect the learning process goes a long way in providing educators / teachers with solutions or clues to solutions to many of the thorniest education problems. The students therefore ought to be involved in discussion about curriculum, teaching methods, school organisation, discipline and assignments.
4-There is need for some flexibility on the part of teachers for example avoidance of herding (involuntarily assigning students to classes or groups). Instead of herding, adoption and adaption of one-to-one personalised instruction and providing the opportunity for students to self-select during grouping are some of the proposed alternatives.
5-Incorporation and integration of digital tools in the teaching methods / learning process e.g. Cell phones. Cell phones have very many capabilities (with several emerging ones) that can be harnessed to make them appropriate learning tools. Some countries are already using Cell phones as learning tools e.g. UK, China, Japan, Philippines, etc.
6-Since programmability is a characteristic of the digital technology, the approaches and curricula for programming courses ought to be made available to all (students) to learn and use instead of teachers taking matters into their hands i.e. creating and conducting the teaching of programming courses at prescribed times. Besides, the teachers ought to consider involving students in teaching their peers and also involving outside volunteer experts.
7-A shift from "legacy" curricula towards "future" curricula to provide more room to cover subject matter such as nanotechnology, bioethics, genetic medicine, and neuroscience ought to be considered. Involvement of experts in these fields in preparation of content tailored to students' needs and delivered through 21st century tools is essential.
8-There are two halves of students' education institution: the formal 'school' half and the informal 'after school' half. While the former is becoming an increasingly moribund and irrelevant institution, the latter is technology-rich hence expectedly busier and ought to be integrated with life in school. It is sad to note that some of the technologies used by the students 'after school' are not known to many teachers and administrators!
9-Prensky recommends a student survey of technology use. To stress the significance of this, he states, "If we don't stop and listen to the kids we serve, value their opinions, and make major changes on the basis of the valid suggestions they offer, we will be left in the 21st century with school buildings to administer - but with students who are physically or mentally somewhere else."
Prensky, a US-based teacher, shared these thoughts in 2005. I, a Uganda-based teacher, reviewed the article in 2008. I do not know when you are reading it and from where but what I know is that Prensky wrote it based on his US experience. What remains for me and you is to find out whether and how the above thoughts apply / may apply in our environment. Just like I will do, please share your thoughts with us.
Find Prensky's article here.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Welcome 2008
It is here, I believe with its unique challenges. I trust that God will help you and I through it successfully and with greater achievements than those of 2007.
I am personally happy with the lessons I learned and the achievements made in 2007. I am prepared to experience bigger achievements in 2008 in the areas of Family, Finances, Firm (career development), Friends, Fun, Faith and Fitness - the so-called 7Fs. I purpose to pursue the short and long term 'SMART' goals in my plans for each of these areas in my life.
Get inspired to do the same so that at the end of 2008 you may look back and see how much mileage you have covered with reference to your vision.
Happy New Year 2008.
I am personally happy with the lessons I learned and the achievements made in 2007. I am prepared to experience bigger achievements in 2008 in the areas of Family, Finances, Firm (career development), Friends, Fun, Faith and Fitness - the so-called 7Fs. I purpose to pursue the short and long term 'SMART' goals in my plans for each of these areas in my life.
Get inspired to do the same so that at the end of 2008 you may look back and see how much mileage you have covered with reference to your vision.
Happy New Year 2008.
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