Parliament has tasked the Ministry of Education and Sports to formally table before Parliament the guidelines on how music concerts will be held in schools following numerous public complaints on raunchy videos of artists and students dancing controversially during the concerts.
“You need to bring those guidelines on Thursday (4th August 2022) and we are also told that those schools belong to some Ministers and MPs and where that happened belongs to some Minister,” the Speaker Anita Among, said.
Her remarks were in response to a complaint raised by Sarah Opendi (DWR Tororo) who asked the Speaker to rein over the Ministry of Education after it failed to table before parliament the guidelines on how music concerts should be held in schools, despite Parliament tasking the Ministry to do so.
Opendi remarked, “When I raised the issue of some musicians going to schools and performing skimply, dancing seductively, the Minister committed to bring guidelines here, to date, those guidelines haven’t been brought. I see something circulating on social media. Wouldn’t it be right that the Minister presents those guidelines and we close that chapter.”
Opendi also alleged without evidence that homosexuality has increased in schools because of the failure by Government to monitor co-curricular activities in schools, which has left students vulnerable to such vices.
“Because as a nation, we have to be morally and be cognizant of the fact that there are people now flocking into schools and teaching our children, actually the issue of homosexuality is growing in schools,” added Opendi.
The development comes at the time the Ministry of education yesterday released a circular barring raunchy music concerts, warning all school heads to desist from inviting singers who dance erotic dances while half-naked when performing at school functions.
Authored by Jane Egau, acting Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education and Sports, cited the 11th July 2022, video that circulated on social media, decrying the indecency in schools writing, “It is now clear that there have been several of these totally unacceptable and offensive functions allowed in schools in the names of extra curriculum and entertainment activities,” read in part the circular.
As such, Government has banned music concerts and ordered schools to limit themselves to extra curriculum activities in sports, games and debates, asserting that if schools need to entertain themselves, they should engage in acting plays and arrange concerts.
It should be recalled that the proposal to ban music concerts was first fronted by Opendi last month, who criticised the Ministry of Education for looking on as artists performed raunchy dances in schools and although the Minister of State for Primary Education, Monica Kaducu promised to present guidelines on those matters, the guidelines haven’t found their way to Parliament.
