Reflections on what independence and teaching mean in this age

Self determination is an important right that often clashes with the fear that comes with trying to alter international borders. In recent days, the people of Cataluna (Spain) and Kurdistan (Iraq) have been putting this to test once again. Closer here, tomorrow Uganda will be celebrating 55 years of independence. Like many African countries this day is best spent reflecting on what it will take for us to achieve full independence. What does independence even mean to ordinary Ugandans especially when almost every day they are reminded of the help from the ‘kind’ donors who sometimes give tough conditions for their help? And what about our friends from the East who are so willing to help us do a catch up when it comes to infrastructure development? How much of our independence do they leave us with as they go about their magnanimity? Shall we be able to pay off the debts we are incurring with them in addition to our old debts with the West? A man in debt is hardly an independent one. I also always wonder how far we have gone regarding the nation building project from the time of independence. To me this is even more worrying than the debts above. Yes we were given boundaries and communities were compelled to live together as a nation but how have we performed at this? From social media you can easily tell that a lot more needs to be done. Homophobia, tribalism and hatred continue to manifest quite easily. In Kenya an extended election season has put to test all the nation building rhetoric with some even talking about secession as a solution to the political and social questions the country has to deal with at the moment. If we are still struggling with nation building then the dream of an East African federation will remain just that – a dream. Nation building, development and eventually full independence cannot be divorced from education in general. As I repeatedly say on these pages, no country can be more developed than its education system. Teachers are pillars in this system and that is why a day was set aside to recognise their contribution to development. Over the years this day has become one where you can be sure to hear this; “Government is committed to improving the welfare of teachers” message across the region. This is then qualified with a promise to increase wages or to support the teachers’ savings scheme. These pronouncements often do not do much to curb regular teachers’ strikes over pay. As the promises made on the day take long to go through the process of implementation. This year’s theme for the teachers’ day was “Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers.” This is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 4: Inclusive and Quality Education. I did spend some years in front of young people as their teacher. It was at a time when the power of the teacher was starting to diminish thanks to the internet. However teachers still have a role to play in guiding learners in this information (overdose) era. Teachers used to know almost everything until the internet or precisely Google showed up. Like the media, learners need protection and guidance from fake news or fake information which is now in abundant supply. Empowering teachers therefore means equipping them with the necessary skills to sift through the information online and to guide young ones so that they are not misled. For this to happen we need to acknowledge the different sources of information young people are exposed to in this age. Children as young as three are now picking a lot of their information from their parents’ phones. Sometimes it is the content that does rounds on social media platforms like WhatsApp. Then you have the time tested magic box aka TV. With digital TV, the challenge to find useful content has left many stations just airing music videos. Not forgetting other digital platforms with their click bait stories. So the conversation about teachers should go beyond their welfare. We need to talk about their relevance in this information era. Do they have access to online facilities where they can find new information easily and dispense it using better methodologies? Are we empowering them to realise that quality education goes beyond preparing young ones to pass examinations? These and more questions are what should occupy us on such days. In my humble opinion, the answers to such questions will determine how far we can progress as nations. Views, opinion, commentary pieces expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the New Times Publications.

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Reflections on what independence and teaching mean in this age