POPE’S RESIGNATION SPEECH

 

 "Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

"Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer."

UNEB RELEASES A-LEVEL RESULTS.

Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) has today released the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education results for 2011.

Uganda National Examination Board secretary (UNEB) Mathew Bukenya handed over the results to education minister Jessica Alupo who released them to the public this morning at Statistics House in Kampala. A total of 103,000 candidates sat for the examination, and it has been announced that the results show a 98 per cent pass rate!

MOST TEACHERS ARE SHORT OF SKILLS

The chairperson of the Uganda National Examinations Board has said the overwhelming majority of teachers are grossly lacking in the qualities necessary for them to carry out their roles effectively.

Fagil Mandy said this explains the high failure rate in most of Uganda’s schools.

Less than one teacher out of 100 in Uganda loves their country or looks for new knowledge to improve their quality of teaching, according to Mandy.

Less than two read, do research or even understand their learners, he said, during the release of last year’s Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) Examination results at Statistics House yesterday.

Mandy said he did research among teachers and discovered shocking revelations that could be contributing to the failure rates in Ugandan schools.

He said he used 24 parameters set by a sample of 30,000 teachers stating what a good teacher does to shape an all-round learner.

The sample, Mandy said, was drawn from primary and secondary school teachers all over the country.

He said much as the teachers had acknowledged the things that are essential for them to be able to shape a learner, those who reported doing those very things were less than 10 out of every 100 teachers.

Reading, listening to learners and planning lessons, according to the respondents, were done the most, but even then, it was a paltry 330 teachers out of the population sample of 3,840 or 8.59% who said they did them.

These were followed by teachers who said they guided and counselled their students as well as practised God’s wish. For each of the two categories, 300 out of 3,840 teachers or 7.8125% said they did them.

They were followed by 270 out of 3,840 who said they control their emotions. A total of 240 or only 6.25% said they evaluate their work or even inspire their pupils.

Only 70 teachers (1.822916%) reported that they keep physically fit and healthy, while 60 (1.5625%) said they do research, innovate, understand their learners or correct and edify their learners.

Only 40 (1.041666%) said they understand the social, political and economic environment of Uganda.

The research, according to Mandy, also showed that 100 teachers (2.6%) possess multi-skills or take on multi-tasks, while 90 (2.3%) keep time or find other ways of earning reliable income.

He stated that 120 teachers (3.1%) adapt to changes, change people or practise honesty and integrity.

It also showed that only 210 (5.4%) of the teachers communicate effectively and only 180 (4.6875%) act as an example to their pupils.

Mandy noted that the teachers cannot give to a learner what they do not have for example the quality of being enterprising.

He said the situation calls for quick action on the part of teachers and parents.

TORO CELEBRATES PRINCESS KOMUNTALE'S WEDDING

Komuntale was led through the church aisle by her brother King Oyo Nyimba in a golden robe, as the police band played the familiar “Praise the Lord,” hymn. Marching from behind were close members of the royal family who included the Queen Mother Best Kemigisa.

The event was colorful, with women adorned in colorful hairstyles of red, orange and purple being the dominant colors. Other people sat under tents raised outside the overflowing cathedral and followed proceedings from the projector screens erected outside the church.

The couple took their vows before the Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi who was assisted by the Rwenzori Anglican diocese bishop Reuben Kisembo, after which Orombi pronounced the two as husband and wife.

Kabarole District Engineer Quizzed By UPE/USE Probe Team

he committee setup by the president to investigate the misuse of Universal Primary and Secondary Education has quizzed the Kabarole district engineer, Stephen Wakatama for presiding over shoddy classroom construction works.

The committee wanted to know whether the engineer has ever advised the district to have an operation and maintenance plan and budget to cater for repairs of school buildings which are in bad condition.

The engineer informed the committee that he had never advised as required and expected and accepted the responsibility.

The committee has discovered that classrooms recently constructed were at the verge of falling down because of shoddy works by constructors aided by the engineers who approve the works.

However, the engineer blamed the mess on inadequate staff in the engineering department to supervise all the construction works within the district.

Fort Portal’s hidden gem

It’s common for travelers to enter a town, sample a few of the happening spots and head out. Little do they notice how much lies beyond the town. The same happens to most people who go through Fort Portal town. A lot has been said and written about this town already. But tucked away 11km from the town whose leaders are dreaming of turning into a city, is a gem – Kluge’s guest farm.  The place is accessible by a first-class murram road.

When Stefan Kluge came to Uganda in 1989 to help with the rehabilitation of the tea industry in the western part of the country, he saw no better place to settle than in the shadows of the mountains of the moon.

In 1992, Mariam and Stefan Kluge, bought the 72-acre piece of land on which the guest farm sits today. It is surrounded by a papyrus swamp and a tropical rain forest, which is home to several families of black and white colubus and grey vervet monkeys.

Over the years, the ever-welcoming couple has developed the land into a farm and planted a big number of trees and flowers of various varieties, making this place so unique and colourful. Today, Kluge’s Guest Farm is a nature lover’s sight to behold.

Indeed, the intriguing combination of swamp, forest and open land makes the place attractive for a wide variety of birds thus making it an ideal place for birding. Species like the crested crane, sunbirds, hornbills, crows and the different coloured Turacos are a common sight here.

Apart from birding, guests can take nature walks in the vast forest, get a ride on a horse and/or decide to camp here. The camp site facilities are equipped with running hot and cold water, showers and flush toilets, so one should worry about a lizard falling on one’s head as nature’s call is being answered.

Campers may carry their own tents or use those at the guest farm. Visitors to this place also enjoy taking a dip in the swimming pool. The kids too have their own pool nearby where they splash under the watchful eye of their parents.

The restaurant, Gavamukulya, Luganda for “strength comes from food” has an a la carte menu with daily specials and if one has a special order, the chef will gladly serve the request.

The cuisine is farm-based with fresh milk from the farm, home-grown vegetables and freshly baked bread. I recommend the whole fish served with chips and a salad. 
Kabarole’s people have even discovered a secret in holding their wedding receptions in its plush gardens. Now you know - there is more to Fort Portal than just the beautiful town centre. 

HIV/Aids High in Kabarole District Secondary Schools.

The Kabarole district secretary for health and education Joshua Kagaba has said that the HIV prevalence among secondary schools in Kabarole district currently stands at 30%.

Kagaba told the New Vision on Thursday morning that a study by the district with the help of other Non-Governmental Organization shows that of every 1000 students at least over 250 are HIV positive.

He however blames the increase to the parent's negligence of their duties in the upbringing of an African child.

"Parents no longer perform their duties as heads of families where these children stay" said Kagaba. "They spend less time with them and have not bothered to advice or monitor the dressing code and movements of their children outside home" he added.

Kagaba stated that the prevalence is much higher among the female students a move he attributed to cross generational sex.

"The graph shows that the HIV is acquired from adult men that are above 40 years of age whereas most of the male students were born with it" Kagaba stated.

The district is now encouraging school heads to lobby for free HIV/AIDS testing and counseling in their schools to identify the affected students.

"We are encouraging formation of HIV clubs in all schools to identify, counsel and guild the students but let it (club) be given a selling name e.g. SAVING LIVES so that it can attract many students and to avoid stigma" Kagaba explained.

Speaking to the New Vision on phone Dr Hauser Mpugga the Kabarole district AIDs focal person said that his office has now embarked on a sensitization exercise that is to roll down to all schools in the district. "We want to avoid new infections by using the ABC control strategy" said Dr Mpugga.