Government has banned all performances involving mainstream musicians in schools, following complaints relating to misleading behavior.
On Monday, the Ministry of Education and Sports issued a circular to all headteachers prohibiting (henceforth) the practice of “inviting singers who dance erotic dances, naked in the schools, in the guise of extracurricular activities”.
The circular was issued by Dr Jane Egau Okou, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports.
It is an outcome of a meeting held July 18 by the Ministry of Education, which resolved that it was necessary to provide guidelines on the nature and conduct of co-curricular and entertainment activities which happen in schools.
According to the Ministry, extracurricular activities in schools entail sports and games, debating, among others. It is advising schools to consider activities such as plays or in-house concerts, should they feel the need to entertain the learners.
“Everybody must always remember that Ministry of Education is the custodian of values and behavior of the children of Uganda while at school, whether those schools are government or private schools,” reads part of the circular.
The Ministry is set to release detailed guidelines regarding the latest directive.
Last month, Tororo Woman MP and Chairperson Uganda Woman Parliamentary Association, Sarah Opendi, called on Ministry of Education to ban secular musicians from performing in schools, arguing their dress code and behavior during these performances affects the students’ mental health negatively.
“Parents bring their children to learn morals and values. You cannot pull off those dances we see musicians do in school. It is very unfortunate that we have witnessed videos of nursery children dancing the same moves” Opendi said.
Similar concerns were raised by Pastor Martin Ssempa of Makerere Community Church Martin Ssempa, who urged authorities to clamp down on musicians’ raunchy performances in schools.
From bendover sexualized TV for kids it's now in schools. Here is our famous teachers showing how to nkwatako, and bendover! What happens after the concert? pic.twitter.com/B1SQFL1xyR
— Martin Ssempa (@martinssempa) July 19, 2022
MP Opendi’s comment prompted a rather unapologetic response from singer Sheebah Karungi, who argued that her role as a musician isn’t to teach kids morals.
“Parents should sit down and teach their children what they should copy from musicians and what they shouldn’t, “Sheebah said
Sheebah said there are other factors, including exposure to the internet, that affect children’s mental health.
The trend of musicians being booked to perform in schools, especially those in Kampala and Wakiso, has become increasingly popular in the recent past.
However, this has in some cases left artistes entangled in morality-related controversy.
In 2019, Swangz Avenue was forced to publicly apologize on behalf of Winnie Nwagi (who is managed by Swangz) following public uproar after a video of her dancing erotically with students of St. Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK) went viral on social media.
The record label said the actions of Nwagi were a “huge error in judgment”.
The incident also prompted the the Pornography Control Committee to summon Nwagi as committee members considered her actions at SMACK as “unlawful and a breach of the cultural and religious norms of the Ugandan society”. The singer later apologized personally, acknowledging she had gone overboard in trying to entertain.
