Want to make a difference to society? Educate people!

I would probably have remained in the village, like most of my age mates had it not been for my grandpa who gave me career advice that changed my life.

When he learnt that I had failed to make the cut to join the then vibrant German government funded Munteme Technical College (TECO) he came to my rescue.

Here is a short extract of that moment from a page in my book, Your Three Keys To A Worry Free Life:

“I was told I set a record for the lowest mark in carpentry admission exams at TECO on 8^th July 1992, and that I would never achieve anything in life. I was raised by a single mom and dug in the school garden to pay my O level school fees for four years, every school day, of my secondary education…

… One evening, as I was just returning from taking the goats to graze, Grandpa called me to the verandah where he was seated. If you were with me and him on that Thursday evening, and heard what he told me, your life would have changed. It changed mine. He pulled me closer and looked at me directly in the eyes and said: “Barinaba, I don’t consider TECO the best for you [pause]. I am happy that you couldn’t pass the admission exams to join that place. I know only of Makerere University in Kampala. That’s the only place where the best of the best go. Unfortunately, it is not easy to get there. No one in this village has ever made it there. Very few people in our district [Hoima] have managed. They are the ones who occupy the best jobs and live extremely well in Kampala.” It was intense and timely.  That talk helped to lift a lot of weight off my chest.

At last I had options to change my life around. I had been advised to wait and reapply to TECO at the next intake, in three years’ time. It was to be a long wait, but I had prepared my minds for it. All this changed after that talk. The following day I delivered my application in time to join Senior One at MUFACO. I was reluctantly admitted owing to my bad PLE grades.  My view about success had been changed for good. My dream now was to read hard and go all the way to Makerere University, Kampala. This was now my new driving force.”

Welcome back.

As you will read in my book if you get a copy from Amazon.com, I am successful. I cannot imagine how developed our village, district and of course country would become if all folks were educated and exposed to my level.

Now get this right:

Education is not just about attaining technical and academic qualifications. No. it is about helping people to ‘open up’ their minds to see possibilities and the opportunities available.

In August 2013, I went to the village to celebrate the Christmas holidays. Like you, I always make it a point to visit old friends and our family neighbors to touch base and say hi. On my second day in the village, my mother looked at me and said: “today I am going to take you to one of the well-off families in this village.” She said they are very rich.

I was excited. Indeed, when we visited, we were warmly welcomed by Alex, the head of the house. Alex is a tall and masculine man with an imposing body build.  He offered to move me around the family farm, as his wife was preparing lunch.  I was impressed by this family’s wealth – they have a big farm, lots of cattle, goats and a big plantation.

Two hours later we returned to his house for lunch.

It was clear that they had no idea how they could use their money to live a good life. They don’t have chairs in their house. No electricity, because it had been cut off and they had no much need for it! The utensils were with visible stains; and of course their house had no tiled floor. And many other things I may not say here.

You see, these people don’t know how to use money to better their lives. They lack exposure of modernity and how the ‘rich enjoy’ money.  The more you know how to enjoy and use money, the more you are motivated to look for it and grow it.

So, how many people have you so far helped to go to school? How many people are you mentoring to open up their minds?

I have a project I am doing called ethics in schools. It is intended to help young children to understand the value of ethics and how to make the right career choices. My other project close to my heart is called Bunyoro Literacy Foundation. Of course, it is intended to set up quality libraries throughout Bunyoro, and Uganda as whole.

I am sure, a man life Alex, a rich farmer in the village, would become more successful and happier if he got a chance to read a book about success. And once we do that, we will set up computer labs to enable internet access.

I invite you to start educating someone today. Make a difference!

Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, MBA. 2014 All rights reserved.