S.6 leavers set for 6-month patriotism training at Kyankwanzi

• Senior Six leavers are expected to undergo about six months of patriotism training at Kyankwanzi.

• Patriotism commissioner Hellen Seku said the programme had been agreed upon with President Museveni.

• Government has not explained when the programme will start, who will pay for it or whether attendance will be compulsory.

• A similar compulsory training plan announced in 2024 was never publicly clarified.

Senior Six leavers will undergo about six months of patriotism training at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi, the government has announced.

Hellen Seku, the Commissioner of the National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps (NSPC), said the programme will start with this year’s Senior Six leavers.

Seku made the announcement on Sunday in Rukungiri district, saying the plan had been agreed upon with President Yoweri Museveni.

“You’re going to go for about six months,” Seku told students.

She spoke at Immaculate Heart Girls’ Secondary School Nyakibale, where more than 1,700 students from four schools completed a week-long patriotism course.

The training covered national identity, discipline, Pan-Africanism, political history and security.

Seku said the broader programme seeks to build discipline, patriotism, national identity and responsibility among young people.

She also announced plans for refresher training for school patriotism patrons and coordinators.

Teachers and head teachers who have never undergone the training, or those who trained several years ago, will also be targeted.

Makobore High School head teacher Gadgar Kibayo Arinitwe, who attended the event, said he spent two months at Kyankwanzi after completing Senior Six in 1993.

Arinitwe said the lessons and values he gained during the training had remained with him.

However, Seku did not explain when the six-month programme will begin, whether attendance will be compulsory or who will meet the costs.

She also did not explain how the programme will fit into university admission and reporting schedules for this year’s Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education candidates.

A similar announcement was made in 2024.

At the time, Seku told a patriotism pass-out at Gayaza High School that all Senior Six leavers would undergo at least three months of compulsory training at Kyankwanzi beginning that year.

It remains unclear whether that earlier plan was implemented.

The latest announcement could affect thousands of students who leave secondary school each year and proceed to universities, tertiary institutions or employment.