The yellow bus of yore that favoured symbol of populist campaign rhetoric or the cost of education, appropriate for a country that has embraced
Universal Primary School Education like ours thanks in no small part to debt relief and the shrewdness of the donor community is at a cross roads. The discovery
of oil and natural gas in Uganda along the Albertine Basin from Rhino Camp in
Arua to the Semiliki, is that fork in the road.
Before this discovery it was alright for the driver and the
occupants of the bus to meander along in a general direction since the
assumption was that what lay head could not be any worse than what they were
leaving behind. However all that changed when oil was struck. It is no longer
assumed but it is for certain now that what lies ahead is promising. Now the
driver and his passengers have a choice to make whether to continue on the same
course or plot a different course.
Staying on course leads our intrepid travelers to Entropy Drive
this route has no demands and even fewer changes of scenery since it’s the familiar
route, for both driver and passenger. Off course that is the road away from
Entropy Drive, is unfamiliar to both passenger and driver so each must learn to
rely on the other in order to get to where they are going.
The National Oil and Gas Policy hints at how revenue from
oil will be shared with the objective being to create lasting value for the entire
nation. A petroleum fund is necessary, where revenues from taxes and exploration
permits are invested, it should have a significant portion that is ring fenced
for education. If nothing else is achieved more Ugandans should go to school
from elementary to tertiary level without worrying about tuition, lunch and
stationery all these requirements are to be met by the government from its
Petroleum Fund.
No comments:
Post a Comment