A new digital learning application (App) for primary school learners in Uganda was days ago launched in Kampala, which government said will help children in lower primary better understand literacy and mathematics.

Michael Ochero, who represented the ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), at the launch of the application said technology has come up as a fundamental tool that is taking the world toward digitalisation.

He observed that having interactive learning tools for the children is a good step towards development in Uganda.

“If this App is fully utilized, it will be a way of keeping children alert and creative. It will also be a good way of encouraging children to use the Internet for better reasons. Checheza has the full support from the ministry of ICT and we shall work hard to ensure that its applicability spreads to the rest of the country, especially rural areas, so that the education ground is levelled for both urban and rural schools,” he said.

While Humphrey Mukooyo, who represented the Education ministry, said the integration of ICT in teaching and learning will create equality by enabling disadvantaged learners and teachers in rural areas to access the same information in real time like their urban counterparts.

He added that education institutions will be empowered to utilise more than one teaching method.

Mukooyo said the government would provide affordable computers to schools and connect them to the Internet to demystify ICT and prevent innovations such as Checheza from atrophying.

Katrina Stensson, the chief executive officer of Checheza, the organization that developed the application, said it will allow learners to read, write, count and play games anywhere on smartphones or tablets without an Internet connection.

There are currently 150 pupils at a digital learning center in Bududa District to pilot how the digital platform works.

“Many children leave school without essential skills. It is time to look for new solutions,” said Stensson, adding: “When we make learning practical and fun, it will improve the learning effects. Playing the learning game on a smart phone at home makes it possible to improve performance in school.”

The new application is currently available in English and Kiswahili, Uganda’s two official languages, but will be upgraded with time to include other local languages so that its content is localised for the children.

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The Judiciary is in the final stages of introducing a digital platform that will allow plaintiffs file court cases online from wherever they are as part of measures to speed up the administration of justice in the country.

The new development was disclosed by the Chief Justice, Bart Katureebe, while meeting the legislators on Parliamentary Budget Committee at the High Court. He said the process would begin in January next year.

“We have the issues of petty corruption. You go to a court, you meet a clerk and will say ok, give me some money and I file your case and sometimes he will even tell you more than what is needed to file the case, then you come to follow your case he will tell either your file is missing or I need so much for the magistrates, the magistrate is asking for so much and yet many times these magistrates even don’t know that they have asked for money, this is corruption. In some cases, your case is progressing and they say you see your case has been pushed to next year so come next year but if you can do something I can convince them to bring it forward,” he said.

Justice Katureebe said: As the Judiciary, were are rolling out an automated system that will allow complainants to file cases without visiting the court premises.”

He said the system would be easy that each person can follow the status of his or her files from home, so long as the person has access to computer and internet.

He said any one who will file the case in the automated system will be given a log in number. “You can log in and check the status of your file and the supervisors can log in and see which case was filed and what its progress is,” he said, adding that the procurement of the systems is ongoing.

“Government started off by giving us Shs6 billion, the procurement is at an advanced stage and we are progressing. We think in the New Year this system will start,” he said.

But they will begin with the Supreme Court, the Appellate Courts, the High Courts and the Magistrates’ Courts of Nakawa, Mengo, and others in Kampala before it can be rolled to regional courts.

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Family conflicts are the major cause of high incidences of suicide in Pader District, according to a report presented to parliament by the Minister of State Northern Uganda Rehabilitation, Grace Kwiyucwiny Freedom, who said there has been 15 cases of suicide in that district in 2018.

According to minister Kwiyucwiny, the domestic conflicts are between children and parents as well as wives and husbands and that the conflicts arise from various issues such as; early marriages, early pregnancies, land and related properties.

The minister in her report says people committed suicide using drugs /pesticides (Dudumaki).

On November 16, 2018, MP Lucy Aciro Otim (Aruu North) raised the concern over high suicide incidences in the district, which made legislators to demand that government investigate the matter and put in place appropriate interventions.

“As I investigated this fact I have established that there are indeed cases of suicide in Pader District. The reported cases of suicide in Aruu North since January 20I8 are as follows: Lapur Sub Countty,7 cases; Lagur Sub County, 4 cases; Taranga Sub County, 2 cases,” the minister says in his report.

The minister reports that in Aruu South Constituency suicide cases happened, with Ogom Sub County have one case, and Puranga Sub County had one case, giving a total of 15 registered in the district.

CASCS.

However in Acholi region, no suicide cases were established, say in Gulu, during the year, though there was a higher prevalence in Omoro District, especially Koro Sub County. “Mainly husbands kill their wives and children and also end up killing themselves,” the minister says in his report.

The minister’s investigations revealed that many suicide cases are not reported to police as the victims are quickly buried.

The minister said non-governmental organisations which were counselling people are no longer doing that. “It has also been confirmed that many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) which carried out psychosocial support and counselling programmes have since closed their programmes,” he says in the report.

As such, he says, there is growing need for psychosocial support and counselling.

Steps taken by the minister to help address the matter are; working with Regional Security and District Security office to establish the scope of the matter. A final report will be share with the district leaders next week.

The says he has called NGO meeting to help reactivate psychosocial support and counselling programmes in Northern Uganda starting with Pader and Omoro Districts where the prevalence is high.

He plans to meet the Pader LC5 Chairperson on Tuesday to discuss further how this case can be addressed, He says he will request the leadership to include psychosocial support and counselling in the district budget.

“I will interact with the cultural and religious leaders and call upon their interventions to counsel and inculcate their cultural values in order to strengthen the family institution amidst the remnants of challenges from the long conflict in Northern Uganda,” he says.

“We have discussed the urgent need for psychosocial support and counselling, and for this FY (financial year) we shall try to adjust in order to get some funds but next FY it will be a fully budgeted for item,” he concludes.

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The mobilization of funds to support the implementation of the regional integration programmes is one of the key highlights of the 39th meeting of the COMESA Intergovernmental Committee meeting that began Friday Lusaka, Zambia.

The meeting brought together Permanent/ Principal Secretaries from ministries that coordinate COMESA activities in the Member States to consider – among others – a new resource mobilization strategy that will make COMESA financially sustainable. Uganda is a member of the 21-member bloc.

COMESA Secretary General (SG), Ms. Chileshe Kapwepwe told the delegates at the opening ceremony, that 65 percent of the current budget for programmes was supported by Development Partners. “It is even more challenging, to note that Member States contributions are not only inadequate but also, only a few of the Member States have been consistently able to pay the assessed contributions on time,” she said.

The SG called on Member States to review the current funding modalities of COMESA given that there was a steady reduction by development partners, of non-programme budget for the Secretariat.

The Secretariat has subsequently developed a comprehensive Resource Mobilization Strategy, to be considered and adopted by the permanent secretaries. It is intended to ensure a clear and well-coordinated approach to mobilize resources required to support the implementation of COMESA programs.

The SG also indicated that COMESA was rolling out digital trade facilitation programme to promote investments and industrialization especially on agro-based industries and agribusiness.

“The use of technology will underpin our commitment to finding innovative ways of facilitating trade through e-commerce, e-logistics and e-legislation,” she said.

“It is time to ensure that COMESA becomes the regional hub in developing and implementing of innovative ways of trade facilitation and maximise the use of the digital technology in regional integration,” she added.

To speed up the integration agenda, the SG identified the following initiatives to be carried out by the organization: rolling out COMESA video conferencing; developing an online market; eliminating inefficiencies in the existing one stop border post through use of digital technology; ensuring simultaneous information sharing at the border points and harmonization of the transit cargo regulations and customs documentation and procedures.

Heads of delegation representing development and cooperating partners addressed the meeting. These included Ambassador Allesandro Mariani (European Union) Ambassador Daniel L. Forte (USAID), the World Bank, the International Trade Centre and the International Organization for Migration.

Ambassador Mariani said the EU will launch two additional programmes in 2019: one worth 10 million euros to support private sector and Regional Value Chains; and another of seven million euros to strengthen the institutional capacities of the COMESA Secretariat.

The IC meeting comes to an end on Saturday, November 24, 2018 paving way for the 39th COMESA Council of Ministers meeting on Sunday November 25, 2018.

COMESA member countries include: Burundi, Comoros,D.R. Congo,Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tunisia Seychelles, Somalia Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Tunisia and Somalia joined the bloc this year.

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