Government commences consultations to develop a national guidance policy
The policy will be an instrument to spearhead the ideological development of the country by guiding and educating the masses on the core national strategic areas, mindsets and a transformative propagation of national interests.
By Fahim Muyingo
The government through the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance has embarked on national consultations in the development of the national guidance policy.
The policy will be an instrument to spearhead the ideological development of the country by guiding and educating the masses on the core national strategic areas, mindsets and a transformative propagation of national interests.
According to the state minister for national guidance Godfrey Kabyanga, the main bottleneck for the country’s socio-economic and political development since independence is the lack of an ideological orientation to comprehend the national vision.
Kabyanga adds that people should have the correct mindset about government programs and policies since the biggest value which needs to be promoted is love for their country or patriotism.
He says the limited willingness of the public to participate in different government programs is leaned on the deteriorating spirit of patriotism and failure to articulate the national ideology.
The government’s efforts have been mainly on inculcating the right attitudes and mindsets through an expansive and universal primary and secondary education and the promotion of patriotism clubs to enhance civic education.
Dr Amina Zawedde the Permanent Secretary Ministry of ICT and National Guidance said as a ministry they took up the task of drafting a national guidance policy to facilitate ideological orientation through educating citizens on the core national strategic areas and mindset transformation.
Zawede added that the policy intends to benchmark the national’s diverse cultures to direct the demographic population into a spirit of patriotic service delivery.
For public inclusiveness, Jonah Jackson the Ass Commissioner National Guidance said the ministry together with the national task force has launched national consultative engagements to collect public opinions in the development of this policy.
However, despite these initiatives, the level of people’s participation in the development process especially at the community level is still low and dwindling due to low levels of civic competence and limited access to information that compromises their participation in the planning and development processes.
According to the ministry, other delaying factors include monetization of participation which makes it costly for the facilitating institutions and facilitators to accommodate.
Development of this policy with high inclusiveness will facilitate the achievement of the basic elements of democratic governance like stability, sovereignty and civility among others.
