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?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
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).
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