[Uganda] Mass education to fight poverty

from New Vision

By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe

THE Government will use mass education to end household poverty and illiteracy, Prime Minister Prof. Apolo Nsibambi has said.

Presiding over the opening of the National Book Week festival at Garden City yesterday, Nsibambi said mass education would reduce household poverty and improve the national economy.

“The theme of the book week festival, Literacy for poverty eradication, brings to mind the NRM election pledge to transform Uganda through education. The NRM believes in the power of mass literacy to improve the wellbeing of society. We know that Ugandans need to be literate to meaningfully participate in governance and democratic dispensation,” Nsibambi said.

He said the government would support book development through adoption of appropriate policies and laws that facilitate local authorship, publishing and access to books.

“The Government has committed itself to defeating poverty through programmes that seek to improve household incomes or bonnabagagawale. It may be necessary for the government to provide a package of books to every household to meet their need for skills, knowledge and information required for wealth creation,” he said.

At the same ceremony, Nsibambi also launched four books published by Makerere University lecturers.

This is the 14th National Book Week Festival organised by the National Book Trust of Uganda.

Fountain Publishers managing director James Tumusiime said the publishing industry has grown but needs the government support to grow further.

He said the number of publishers had increased to 50.