Govt Earmarks Funds For MDD In Schools

(This article was first published in the New Vision on July 13, 2022)

By Umar Nsubuga and Juliet Kasirye

The Ministry of Eduction and Sports has set aside funds to facilitate the development of music, dance and drama (MDD) in schools this financial year, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Ketty Lamaro, has said.

Lamaro said MDD presents opportunities for learners and schools to identify talent and foster the emotional development and well-being of learners.

“MDD can be used to pass on important messages to learners. It is also an effective tool for teaching and learning. We have budgeted for MDD in the 2022/23 financial year,” she said while presiding over MMD competition at Kitebi Secondary School in Kampala recently.

MDD is one of the co-curricular activities expected to be examined under the competence-based curriculum, which was rolled out by the Government recently.

Ismail Mulindwa, the director for basic and secondary education, noted that MDD promotes self-esteem and is a great tool for learners to appreciate diverse cultures.

Students belonging to Muteesa House MDD group won the competition, followed by Ssemakookiro, Kagere, Mbogo and Mutebi in that order.

“We showed our talent. We now know that we can make money by just using our talents. It is great to discover what we can do through MDD,” Aisha Babirye, a student belonging to Muteesa House at Kitebi Secondary School, said.

Muhammed Kamulegeya, the school’s headteacher, said schools that would like to help learners discover their talents through MDD will have to invest in equipment and training.

Kamulegeya urged schools to help learners strike a balance between academics and co-curricular activities so that one does not disrupt the other, adding that his administration will continue to prioritise co-curricular activities in order to produce all-round learners.

At Nabisunsa Girls’ School, which also held its inter-house annual MDD festival recently, students of Green East House were handed the trophy after winning the contest in which eight MDD groups participated.

Zulaika Nabukeera, the headteacher of Nabisunsa Girls’ School, said co-curricular activities such as MDD are now being taken more seriously because teachers are required to award students scores as per the new curriculum.

“We are supposed to give students scores and make comments on their reports indicating the activities in which they perform well,” she added.

Nabukeera said students will also be trained in co-curricular activities and awarded certificates showing the skills they will have attained.

“Our school assessment of students’ skills and competence will constitute 20%, while the UNEB exam will take 80%. The new curriculum is seeking to produce learners with skills because it is not only degrees and diplomas that enable people to succeed,” Nabukeera said.

Sumaiya Nsiima, a Senior Three student, said MDD allows her to express herself and also learn about Uganda’s cultural diversity.