Education

By Katharina Brötz-Chisi

Education is the key to sustainable development. Training of minds, to think in abstract ways, enables people to come up with innovative solutions for complex problems. Furthermore, the transmission of the knowledge, passed down from one generation to the next, permits people to build ever more complex and integrated systems which enable us to survive and support each other. Education is what the modern society is built upon. It has allowed us to design and build machines, computers, agricultural systems, medical knowledge and investigation systems as well as use and transfer energy in increasingly efficient ways.

Globally the countries which invest in education and sustain more complex education systems are wealthier and have more inclusive societies in which individuals can partake in society and bring about change and innovation. In this way inclusive education is not only the inclusion of disabled members of society into the education system but the integration of all members of society in order to bring about sustainable development. Inclusive education means that every person should be educated to a level that he or she can contribute productively to the community that he or she is living in. Education should be universally accessible allowing no one to be left behind. This requires access to schools and higher education for children and young adults but also the continuous education of the older generations. Education has to be part of the fabric of any society enabling accountable governance and cooperative finding of solutions in order for humans to survive and end poverty, hunger and disease. 

Education and knowledge also allow prejudice to be effectively combated and cooperation and cohesion in communities to be instigated. With greater exposure to education young people realize that different cultures and religions arise out of the same human needs for acceptance, security and basic survival. In educational institutions the future is formed by what cultural norms and values we teach the younger generation. Thus, peace initiatives start in nursery and primary school where children learn not only reading, numeracy and writing but also about the rules of social engagement. Schools and teachers have a huge role to play not only in allowing young students to acquire academic skills but also in teaching and learning social skills and cultural norms and values which can lead to cooperation and peaceful sustainable living.

Based on current projections, Uganda’s population is expected to surpass 100 million people by 2050 and 167 million people by the end of the century, By 2100, Uganda’s population is expected to surpass that of Egypt, the second-largest country by population currently in Africa.Uganda’s population growth rate is currently 3.32%. The growth rate has remained around 3% for the past several decades in Uganda.This is influenced heavily by the country’s fertility rate of 4.78 births per woman. At this growth, over 1 million people are added to the population each year. Uganda’s rapid population growth is a cause for concern. Issues which plague Uganda are rapid urbanization, poor waste management, high poverty, unemployment, environmental degradation, and inadequate infrastructure, among other things.The unemployment rate for young people in Uganda ages 15–24 is 83%. This rate is even higher for those who have formal degrees and live in the urban area. This is due to the disconnect between the degrees achieved and the vocational skills needed for the jobs that are in demand for workers.

SportsUganda exists to develop and educate Ugandan youth in the competitive world of sports, games and recreation as a united and transformed sector. 

It aims to:

Get as many Ugandan Citizens regularly accessing sports, games & recreation activities

Develop a transformed sports, games and recreation sector within the economy

Create an integrated system of enablers who support the delivery of regular sports, games & recreation

Use sports, games and recreation as a mechanism supporting government priorities

Make sports, games & recreation delivery efficient, effective and profitable