Students urged to take lead in environmental protection

19 March 2026, 1:12 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

Students at St Florence Secondary School in Kampala have been encouraged to take an active role in protecting the environment. The call was made by the deputy headteacher, Mubiru Jamir, during an address to the students.

Mubiru emphasized that young people have a significant role to play in environmental conservation and urged them to use the opportunities provided by the school to make a difference. He noted that environmental specialists have consistently called on schools to join efforts aimed at protecting the environment, especially in a country like Uganda, which has a largely youthful population.

“We at St Florence Secondary School are grateful that the school director has committed to supporting our learners with knowledge and providing trees for planting both within the school and in the surrounding community. Many of these learners are not fully aware of the importance of environmental protection, so through this initiative, we shall educate them about climate change and the environment at large,” he said.

He added that the school has partnered with climate change advocates and environmental specialists to help achieve its goal of planting at least 10,000 trees in and around the school. He also revealed plans to invite experts to regularly speak to students and equip them with more knowledge on climate change.

Students welcomed the initiative, expressing excitement about the opportunity to learn more about environmental conservation. They said they had long requested the school administration to bring in experts to teach them about the dangers of climate change and the importance of protecting the environment.

“As students, we are happy that the school has responded to our request. We are eager to learn because our environment is being degraded by people who do not care. If we join hands with others who are committed to protecting the environment, we believe we can make a big impact,” they said.