Roy Rugumayo, one of the aspirants in the Uganda National Students Association (UNSA) presidential race, has promised to construct a national students centre if he is elected into office.
Rugumayo told the Bee that UNSA will no longer be hosted in the ‘corridor of ministry of education’ if he gets into office.
“UNSA shall no longer be hosted in a corridor of Ministry of education. We appreciate the hospitality but after 36 years of existence, it is time for a National Students’ Centre,” he said.
He appreciated the Ministry of Education for housing UNSA at Legacy Towers, noting that for all the years of UNSA’s existence, it has mostly been accorded a small space within the corridors of the line ministry.
He added; “We pray that at the end of our term in office, we are judged along the promissory note we give you. We should be held accountable and to the standards of these commitments”.
Rugumayo’s Manifesto
Empowerment of members and staff.
As we serve students, we have an obligation to do meaningful value addition to student leaders.Leaders, especially those who go through UNSA must be different from others. We shall do deliberate investment in trainings, in organising exchange / benchmarking programs etc.
We shall hugely consult stakeholders and complete the establishment of a fair employment policy for the association. This will clearly state benefits and responsibilities of staff members at secretariat and district coordinators.This will guarantee the signing of proper contracts, streamline awards for outstanding performance, state grounds of termination, state a proper code of conduct etc.
Coordinators will undergo several capacity building programs on ethical conduct etc We shall implement a coordinators’ SACCO by generously supporting its establishment. This will provide very affordable credit to the members, (coordinators, interested UNSA patrons, Alumni, etc).
Financial Sustainability and Accountability
To fund such a robust change at UNSA, it would definitely require a substantial amount of resources. Our philosophy on finances is clear; delivering value for money.Starting from what is available, it must be used religiously to serve the interests of students.
We shall preside over an open, transparent and accountable association where every expenditure must fit the strict standard of highest value for the members. We shall diversify funding sources through strategic partnerships, fundraising drives, grant biddings, fundraising dinners, crowdfunding, education runs, etc.
This will hugely reduce over reliance on student subscriptions and government subvention. Our leadership will remit finances due to districts secretariates to enable them operate sufficiently.
UNSA is only as strong as its grassroot structures.We shall fund districts to carry out activities in schools for organizational visibility and impact to be obtained. We shall also engage relevant authorities to ensure that the 20% retained at schools is fowarded to school Executive committees to enable their operations. We shall engage stakeholders including the ministry of education, UBTEB, the National Council for Higher Education etc to implement payment of subscriptions to UNSA by universities and other tertiary institutions.
Currently, just a few pay at will with little or no enforcement. A mechanism shall be devised to also incorporate schools without UNEB centre numbers.
Leadership Development
We shall oversee the establishment of a Leadership Academy that will oversee comprehensive training programs focused on leadership, governance, and community engagement.
YALI and other foreign agencies are not built for the agenda of training patriotic and pan African leaders to solve the many problems affecting our people. UNSA must take its place in deliberately shaping leaders for Uganda and Africa. With a leadership academy, this will fully be catered for. We shall also engage in mentorship of our leaders pairing student leaders with experienced mentors especially UNSA alumni, for guidance and support.
We shall work with government and other stakeholders to give UNSA trained leaders opportunity to work in local councils, government agencies, departments, etc and those who exhibit exceptional leadership can be retained.
Empowering Students with Disabilities.
When we promised to include students with special needs in UNSA structures, the aim was not to simply achieve inclusion. We aimed at mainstreaming the special needs of our students.
Moving forward, we shall work to address through action and advocacy issues of access, self help Technologies like hearing aides, wheel chairs, white canes, embossers, braille tools etc. The student movement under me shall be at the forefront of pushing for students with special needs. The guarantee I give is that I promised on the issue of inclusion and delivered.
Advocacy for Comprehensive School Feeding Program
Hunger in school is real.We have seen students die of it. Some suffer everyday in silence.Many universities stopped providing meals for students and classified feeding students as “none core”. To them, it is normal to teach a starving student just as long as you are teaching. Even in secondary schools, many don’t offer any food at school.
As some eat something during lunch, others are on the compound eating air! This, we shall reject. There is evidence from near and far that school feeding initiatives improve academic standards and improve lives for students and countries.
With the Presidency of the student movement, we shall make a strong case, in every way possible, for a comprehensive National School feeding program. The final appeal When all is said and done, remember, we seek the Presidency not to occupy space. It is not about filling the CV. The Presidency of UNSA has capacity to influence how you study, how you are treated at school and at your institution.
This is our pledge;we shall champion student welfare, empower leaders, and foster a supportive community.Our bold vision is clearly aimed at transforming UNSA into a robust, inclusive, and progressive organization that enhances the academic experience of its members, takes care of its staff and shapes the future of Uganda. That is the Vision we call on you to vote for this year. Before you, some people are giving you dealership. We are presenting to you leadership. You have the opportunity to choose how you want the 35th year of UNSA’s existence to be.
