Muyingo asks learners to tap German technological expertise

Oct 22, 2018

Mengo Senior Secondary School is the only school in Uganda, benefitting from the PASCH.

State minister for Higher Education Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo, has asked learners of the German language to tap into Germany's technological expertise and duplicate it at home.

Muyingo made the remarks on Saturday, when he officiated at a ceremony to mark 10 years of German language learning cooperation between the  German Embassy and Mengo Senior Secondary School.

The occasion was held at the school, in the city suburb of Mengo.The cooperation is an initiative dubbed PASCH, an acronym in German language that stands for "Schulen: Partner der Zukunft" (Schools: Partners of the Future).

Mengo Senior Secondary School is the only school in Uganda, benefitting from the PASCH. The German language is taught from senior one to six.

Muyingo observed that Uganda's development is reliant on international trade, collaboration and partnership.

"We need to appreciate the historical and development experiences of other people, especially those who have achieved economic and technological advancement ahead of us, for example the Federal Republic of Germany," observed Muyingo.

"The efficiency and reliability of German technology and equipment is second to none in the world.We are all familiar with household German brand names. This excellence must have something to do with cultural ethos which can be understood through German language."

The minister noted that from the early 1960s, the German language has been one of the major foreign languages taught in secondary schools.

Muyingo commended Germany for significant support to Uganda's infrastructural development, channeled through its overseas development agency GIZ.

He also stressed that by virtue of being the largest contributor to the European Development Fund, and top contributor to World Bank, United Nations, and other international financial entities, Uganda is a direct beneficiary of German assistance.

The minister emphasised that government is aware of the role language plays in nationhood and human development. He said such belief informed government decision to reform the primary school curriculum to champion local language for teaching lower primary(P1 to P3).

He requested the embassy to broaden PASCH across the country to enable schools benefit.

The German embassy deputy head of mission Petra Kochendörfer, commended the Education ministry for promoting German language and studies in schools.

She noted that 600,000 students from 120 countries globally are benefiting from the PASCH. Kochendörfer applauded Mengo Senior School, for the remarkable achievement.

The school headteacher Fred Kazibwe, noted that German is among the 27 subjects taught at the school. He stressed that out of the entire student population of 4,336, a total of 1,572 students study the German language from senior one to six.

"We have a curriculum that impacts skills and development.German is well-knitted in our curriculum. We expect that our students who go to Germany for exchange programmes, will return with more knowledge to make a positive difference," Kazibwe remarked. 

The curriculum specialist in charge of foreign languages at the National Curriculum Development Centre Henry Adramunguni, emphasised the essence of learning foreign languages. He said the world needs global citizens to enable adequate interaction. 

PASCH fact file

It is an initiative of the Germany Federal Foreign Office in cooperation with the Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA), the Goethe-Institut, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Educational Exchange Service of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Culture (PAD).

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