By Oweyegha-Afunaduula
Three years ago I wrote an article on Busoga College, Mwiri titled “Why Busoga College, Mwiri was always a unique school”. This time round I want to write about “How Busoga College, Mwiri Inculcated the values of Discipline, Time Management and Sociality”.
Having been founded in 1911, Busoga College Mwiri is 11 years older than Uganda’s oldest University, Makerere University founded in 1922. While Busoga College, Mwiri was founded to cater for the education of the children of chiefs, Makerere University was founded to endow those eho were lucky enough to be admitted to it with technical skills.
Therefore, while the two institutions were likely to value time and discipline they were bound to value sociality differently. Makerere University valued technical education while Busoga College Mwiri valued social development of individuals more.
Makerere University thus started off as a technomechanistic institution producing technomechanistic graduates. Indeed, with the passage of time, Makerere University has preserved its technomechanistic nature while hyping academicism and scholasticism at the expense of social and intellectual development of individual students and the academic staff. If you wanted to come face to face with an institution in Uganda, which has devalued social development and sociality in Uganda, Makerere University is there for you to critically assess.
As I stated in my opening paragraph, the focus of this article is on “How Busoga College, Mwiri Inculcated the values of Discipline, Time Management and Sociality” in its students. I spent 6 years at Busoga College, Mwiri (1966-1971) pursuing my O-Level and A-level education, having completed my primary education at Ikumbya Primary School in present-day Luuka District (1957-1963) and junior secondary education at Mwiri Primary School (1964-1965).
It was not all academic orientation at Busoga College, Mwiri. Academics was important, but there was a lot of emphasis on producing all-round graduates of the college that valued discipline, time management and growing up as socially-developed individuals with high levels of sociality. This could explain why the products of Busoga, College Mwiri since colonial times tended to dominate leadership all aspects of human endeavour wherever they ended up. They served humanity well in the past as much as they still do today. It was this exposure, for example, that enabled me to rise and become the first Ugandan to serve as Chair of a regional civic organization for 11 countries in the Nile Basin (i.e., Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda) – the Nile Basin Discourse (NBD).
Discipline
Discipline is critical because without it we cannot set and achieve goals, development good habits, overcome challenges, improve time management, enhance family and community growth and development, In one sentence we cannot be successful.
Time Management
The value of effective time management cannot be overemphasized. Time is the most important resource available to humanity but also the .ost abused resource. If we know how to manage time we are able to priotise activities and tasks, accomplish more in less time, reduce stress, improve the balance of life and work and enhance the achievement of goals. Indeed if we cannot manage time we cannot manage anything else.
Sociality
Humans are essentially social beings. Therefore, sociality is critical to humans. Sociality is the ability to interact and connect with others. It creates opportunity for emotional support, emotional support, networking, broadening interactions among people from different backgrounds and cultures, improving mental health and preserving a sense of identity and belonging. Indeed we can see this among the former students of Busoga College, Mwiri far more in these days of internet and social media than was the case in the past. Beyond our Mwiri Old Boys Association (MOBA) there are many cyber based platforms enhancing interactions of Old boys beyond the physicality of Busoga College, Mwiri. They are supporting each other emotionally in times of crises across periods they were at the College.
My Role in Incalcating Discipline, Time Management and Sociality
I was lucky to play a critical role in incalcating discipline, time management and sociality within the college community during my time at Busoga, College, Mwiri as a school perfect, head of Hannibgton House, Perfect in a charge of the cafeteria, President of Cultural and Social Society, President of Dramatic Society and President of Debating Society. In all these roles I was a critical socialising agent. Indeed I continued to be a socializing agent beyond Busoga College Mwiri, even through my talents of leading, debating, teaching, and writing, all of which were shaped in the college.
How Discipline was Inculcated
Incalcating discipline in Busoga College, Mwiri was multifaceted. The college had a governance system that laid emphasis on leadership development at the level of Houses, whereof each House had a Head of House, with assistant Prefects and leaders called sub-lumpers who constituted the first line of leadership in the Houses. Besides, each House had a House Master and an Assistant House Master.
During my time at Busoga College, Mwiri the Houses were Coates, Hanninston, Nabikamba, Nadiope, Wako, Willis and Wilson. The leaderships in the Houses had to shape harmonious interactions, and develop the students into people who loved work – both academic and non-academic. The students were to be disciplined enough to do physical work such as cleaning the Houses, washing their bedsheets and clothes, and to slash their house compounds without being coerced to do so by the leaders. They had also to be disciplined enough to go to the cafeteria early and attend classes early without staying behind in their Houses. They had to participate in college quizzes, games and sports and represent their houses in debates and other extracurricula activities. Every morning all members from different Houses had to attend an Assembly at which the Head Perfect and Headmaster specifically would address students on different issues and matters. All academic staff had to attend the assembly and those with particular responsibilities addressed the Assembly. School uniform was mandatory at the Assembly and during all the time in the college and outside the college. Capital punishment was not part of the discipline system. Those who committed serious offenses would be suspended. Expulsion was extremely rare.
I do not remember if there were visiting days for the parents. All I remember is that parents would have to wait for end of time to pick their children. Most times the big ones would take themselves home. In 1966 a college lorry carried students to Jinja at the end of term from where they would get buses or taxis to their parents homes. Later the college acquired a bus that could take the students out.
How Time Management was Incalcated
While what I have so far written about incalcation of discipline involved incalcating time management, what particularly was used to Incalcated time management was the school callender and the different time tables of the different classes to signify when particular lessons started and ended. Both teachers and students would strictly follow the time tables. What was integral to time table was a bugle – a small trumpet like instrument that produced a high pitched noise every end of lesson. Those days each lesson took 40 minutes. I think there was also a drum. When Dr John Balirwa, Dr. Charles Kawagga , Prof Fred Tusubira and I, among others, joined Busoga College Mwiri in 1966, the person who would sound the drum and bugle to announce the end of lessons and begining of others was called Odong. He was a Senior Two student. He went on to finish Senior Six at Busoga College, Mwiri in 1970, a year before we did.
How Sociality was Inculcated
In a way the governance structure of Busoga College, Mwiri was designed to maximize academic excellence in the school but also the sociality of students. When I and others joined Busoga College, Mwiri in 1966 the absolute majority of staff were white. However, there was really no apartheid in the college. There was a lot of interaction between the academic staff and student even extracurriculally. Each academic staff was responsible for a particular extracurricular activity. If a particular group of students went for an activity outside the college, the responsible member of staff would accompany them. Sports, games, quizzes, music and social and cultural activities were avenues for socilizing. The College allowed students to pursue their religious faith without hindrance and develop their sociality thereof. It also allowed students to invite students from other schools to visit and socialize. There was a privately owned band, which became integral to the sociality of the school. It was owned and ran by two brothers, Martin Muyimbo and James Egulwa and many students of different educational levels were part of the band. Some have passed on while some are still alive and scattered all over the country and the world.
Punishment in Busoga College Mwiri was unique and intended to produce and shape students that valued time, belonging and sociality. On the whole, punishment involved withdrawing the culprits from the rest of the college student community and confining him to the Main Hall for a presctibed amount of time depending on the severity of their offences. The offenders would be required to sit for one, two, three or more hours doing nothing, including movement. A perfect would sit in front of them, reading but keenly looking at the culprits to ensure they were sitting doing nothing. Usually the culprits became good social beings. Many would never want to be punished that way again. This way sociality was built and put on a firm foundation in the college.
Prof. Oweyegha-Afunaduula is a Conservation Biologist and member of Center for Critical Thinking and Alternative active Analysis
