WE HAVE REPENTED OF OUR ACTIONS “TEACHERS CRY OUT

Violence against children continues to be  a major problem in Uganda and Kasese in particular, it  happens in  homes , communities and at school where children are faced with corporal punishment,sexual violence ,bullying  among other  cases . RWECO and its member organizations of; RIDE-Africa, KALI, GOOD HOPE and RIC-NET in partnership with Kasese guide radio with  funding from the  Child Rights and Violence Prevention  Fund (CRVP-F) have been implementing a project titled  "community driven approaches to prevent violence against children and adolescents in Kasese district " .As one of the ways of preventing violence against children at school, Rwenzori Consortium for Civic Competence (RWECO) conducted a 3 days training for teachers on safe school environment at Rwenzori International hotel, Kasese.

RWECO coordinator during the training

RWECO conducted the 3 days training(11th-13th July) to equip teachers with knowledge about safe school environment so that they can be able  to champion the safe school element in their schools.42 participants (m-22, f-20) who included 2 teachers from the each of 16 schools of implementation and RWECO staff attended the training.

The teachers trained were from 15 primary schools: Kanyatsi, Kyabikere, Karambi, Kamasasa, Mundongo, St. John’s Bukangara, Katwe, Katwe Quran, Karusandara SDA, Kenyange Muslim, Nkaiga, Kyanya SDA, Ibuga, Kitswamba SDA and one secondary school: Kisinga Voc. Secondary School.

The trained teachers are expected to be examples in their schools and communities in creating a safe school environment. They are also expected to sensitize fellow teachers, parents and school management committees about creating a safe school environment.

The key facilitator Mr. Kutamba Caleb took teachers through different sessions that zeroed at creating a safe school environment for learners with reference to a manual called the Journeys developed by ministry of education and sports (MoES). Key topics of discussion included safe spaces for children while at school, qualities of a senior man and a senior woman teacher, qualities of a safe school environment, reflection on one’s life at school, images of violence among other sessions .

The facilitator during one of the sessions

All these made teachers reflect on their actions that perpetrate violence against children and promised to refrain from them so as to be good and exemplary teachers. The teachers through Ms. Muhahiria Jackline a teacher at Kisinga voc. secondary presented their commitment to RWECO and said that “we teachers have repented of the different cases of VAC we perpetuate against children” and  pledged to create a safe school environment in the schools where they teach.  She thanked RWECO for having facilitated such kind of training.

Ms.Muharia Jackline presenting the teachers commitments

The training was closed by the LC5chairperson Kasese Hon. Geoffrey Bighogho Sibendire, who urged the trained teachers to desist from the different forms of VAC they have been perpetuating against children since they have been trained .He said that “children will always remember the bad things done to them and forget the good ones so teachers should avoid Violence against children so that they are not held in the bad memories of their learners. He commissioned the participants as champion teachers in ending VAC

The LCV at the closure of the training

In conclusion, the 3 days training ended successfully as teachers pledged to create a safe school environment in their schools and one of the participants composed a song discouraging VAC and that the nation is because teachers are and since they are the nation is .The song was composed by Mr. Bwambale Selevest a teacher at Kanyatsi primary school in Kitholhu sub county.