The Ministry of Education on Wednesday suffered an overwhelming crash when Members of Parliament unanimously disagreed with its explanation why it left the history of Bunyoro –Kitara Kingdom out of the new curriculum.
During the plenary session, State Minister for Higher Education, Mr John Chrysostom Muyingo, told parliament that government excluded the history of Bunyoro – Kitara Kingdom from the curriculum to develop a self-discovery strategy.
He explained that this would help students to conduct effective research instead of relying on teachers.
“It is true Bunyoro –Kitara Kingdom is not in the new curriculum. But it was not an omission. There is a new system to inculcate self-discovery for learners to acquire some knowledge by themselves,” Mr Muyingo explained.
However, the MPs quashed Mr Muyingo’s explanation suspecting government’s deliberate move to rewrite history and indoctrinate students to new order.
Mr Joshua Anywarach, the Padiere County Member of Parliament, quelled Muyingo’s explanation saying it did not make sense when some kingdoms and tribes are in the curriculum while others are missing.
“There seems to be a calculated paradigm shift and the indoctrination of learners to a new order,” suspected Mr Anywarach.
Ms Harriet Busiinge, the Hoima District woman MP, vowed that Bunyoro cultural leadership and the entire population will rebel against the new curriculum and will not implement it.
“Our King [Omukama Dr Solomon Iguru] has appealed to the Members of Parliament and other leaders to make sure the curriculum is corrected. The Prime Minister [Mr Andrew Byakutaaga] came to the curriculum centre (National Curriculum Development Centre) to handle the matter but nothing was done,” debated Ms Busiinge.
“We are going to rebel against the new curriculum and no teacher will teach it in our schools,” she added.
Bunyoro – Kitara is a kingdom in mid-western Uganda.
It was one of the most important and powerful kingdoms in East and Central Africa from the 13th century to the 19th century.
The so called experts have since warned against perpetuating a theoretical curriculum saying Uganda requires a modern and relevant educational system to provide society with an informed labour force capable of independent thought, self-reliance and the ability to make their communities a better place.
All the legislators from across Uganda unanimously contended that the history of Bunyoro –Kitara Kingdom cannot be left out of the new curriculum. They said Bunyoro is the mother kingdom where groupings within the interlacustrine region of East Africa and beyond originated.
Chaired by Speaker, Ms Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, parliament resolved that the curriculum should be corrected and Bunyoro –Kitara Kingdom included.
Bunyoro –Kitara Kingdom is known to have been among others-the first place in the world where Caesarean Section was being done and also had the first cure for syphilis, according to Scottish Roman Catholic Medical Missionary, Dr Robert W Felkin’s testimony.
