In the education domain career guidance refers to planning
a head in order for pupils to attain their intended long term goals.
Leadership and career go hand in hand for everyone who goes
to school would wish to be a better citizen in future.
The purpose of this activity was to help pupils learn to
focus evaluate themselves and plan a head.
This exercise was carried out by Mr. Kajura Nelson a
teacher from Buhinga primary school whose passion is in career guidance and
leadership development. He first elaborated on the importance of going to
school as a preparation for a stable and a better future.
The activity targeted 15 schools with a population of 8430 Pupils (4007 girls, 4423 boys)
the facilitator started with a vernacular song with a message connected to the
topic “omwana ategesibwe obwomutangana akwata ebitengobye ayesweka ha maiso.
Omana ayegesiibwe obwotangana akuramukya nobumanzi akukwata mungaro” meaning
when you meet with someone who has not gone to school he covers has face with
his ragged clothes, but when you meet with one who is educated, he boldly shakes
hands with you.
He said, even if one dropped out school at some level, if
it is a girl for instance she would still make a good wife! She would for
example boil water and give birth in hospital, and bring up her children in a
healthy and acceptable way.
He went on to say, that much as leadership could be in
born, some of it can still be acquired at school.
Head girl of Kiboota primary school being coached on how to communicate to her fellow pupils
pupils being addressed by their head girl
He gave an example of prefects that campaign for headship
at school as the born leaders. He went on to say that a good leader should have
the qualities below:
- Flexible / adoptable
- Good communicator
- Respectful
- Confidence
- Open
- Resourceful
- Rewarding
- Well educated
- Open to change
- 1 Interested in feedback.
With all qualities available leaders will be confident and
will command respect and of course their communicative skills will improve. He went on to say that it is quite impossible
however to find all these qualities in one person which meant that we all have
a share of some of these qualities meaning that to some extent every pupil has
one or two leadership qualities already all they have to do is develop them
through school activities like debates, drama, sports, and so on and so forth. With
these qualities he said there is no way one should not be a good leader.
Career guidance according to him should be an ongoing
exercise in schools and this in the long run might help to improve literacy and
numeracy levels.
When pupils get to know what they want, who they are, and what
their capacities are there is a way they work within their resources and
survive while knowing fully where they are going how they are going and for what purpose.
He pointed out problems that children leaders often meet
as:
·
Disrespect from fellow pupils
·
Teasing especially when they are new
·
Lack of self esteem
·
While choosing the prefect bodies some classes
like p.3 and p.4 are normally left out.
In his last remarks he kindly requested teachers to keep
the career guidance candle and
developing leadership skills burning. He said the nation of tomorrow depended
on their effort to make pupils focused and determined to be good citizens of
tomorrow.
