Schools urged to provide students with spiritual guidance

Education institutions that concentrate on academics without offering spiritual guidance are not helping students to prepare for future life challenges, a senior cleric has said.

Academician Joseph Twesigye also the former secretary of the SDA Uganda Union, said young people who did not receive spiritual guidance in schools will find problems in coping with life.

Twesigye claimed that many education institutions in the country were not offering religious training to their learners with some institutions, especially those of higher learning, teaching their students that there is no God.

Twesigye, who is a lecturer at  Bugema University, made the remarks at Katikamu SDA Secondary School in Luweero district where he was the guest preacher during Saturday's thanksgiving service in honour of the school's good performance in last year's  ‘O' Level exams.

"Much as you try to excel in academics you should strive to excel in spiritual matters as well," Twesigye said.

Twesigye advised parents and secondary school leavers to join God-fearing higher institutions of learning and put Jesus Christ at the centre of their lives in order to be able to face the many challenges of life ahead of them.

He hailed Katikamu and other SDA church-founded academic institutions for inculcating religious values into their students and urged senior four and senior six leavers to maintain those ethical values.

"When you finish your senior four or senior six you should not throw away the Bible," he said while addressing the students.

During the function, the administration of Katikamu SSS gave cash awards and promised to give free full A' Level bursaries to four students who excelled in last year's UCE exams.

Praise Atuhire and Rodgers Kiiza who topped the school with aggregate 8, were each given sh600,000. Ruth Keza who scored aggregate 9 was given sh400,000 while Yeka Parksy who scored aggregate 10 was given sh300,000.

The headmaster, Julius Namansa, said it was by God's grace that the school was able to perform well in the exams with 89 out of the candidates passing in division one.

Namansa said Katikamu last year set a new record in the history of the school where candidates performed better in sciences than arts.

He said the school recorded 64 distinctions in mathematics, 31 in physics, 31 in chemistry and 16 in Biology.

The headmaster attributed the good performance to a hard working staff which he said set good policies and plans.

AtuhIre who spoke behalf of the former candidates, urged the current students not to expect good results without hard work.

"UNEB is a miracle making centre but you can only make that miracle when you work hard," he said.