Uganda's First Ever Student's Interactive Digital Law Platform is Here. But is that All to Offer?

Every Law student out there reading this article and anybody interested in positively Impacting our systems of learning today or in the near future should constantly ask themselves these mind disturbing questions.

1. What brought us to this polarized and rancorous state?

2. How did we Allow to get so low to this point?

3. What Must we do to get out of it?

The faster each one of us in whichever capacity your in right now answers these questions, then the better for everyone currently pursuing the legal profession and those intending to pursue it in the near future.

I will first answer the main question and save the rest in my next subsequent articles.

the first question being what brought us to this polarized and rancorous state? and why does it appear that we have settled for so low yet there's something so high.

The answer is quite simple, It is Us (Yes, us Ugandans) who gradually and progressively dragged ourselves to this point. the systems fooled us into thinking only the best Make it anywhere in life. and we fooled the system that its quite true. so we both fooled ourselves and sadly became 2 big fools.

We acknowledged the narrative that only those who studied from prestigious schools, or those who acquired a college degree from a well-renowned Institution of Higher learning, or to the very least anybody who happened to study from the best Universities abroad had success well cut out for them.

This is Ideologically wrong! too wrong that we need to have a paradigm shift and have to cleanse ourselves from all sorts of biases we have against each other. in order for us to change this dilemma we happen to be in.

Celebrated author Michael Sanders in his book The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? says and I will quote,

“This morally blinkered way of conceiving merit and the public good has weakened democratic societies in several ways. The first is the most obvious: Over the past four decades, meritocratic elites have not governed very well. The elites who governed the United States from 1940 to 1980 were far more successful. They won World War II, helped rebuild Europe and Japan, strengthened the welfare state, dismantled segregation, and presided over four decades of economic growth that flowed to rich and poor alike. By contrast, the elites who have governed since have brought us four decades of stagnant wages for most workers, inequalities of income and wealth not seen since the 1920s, the Iraq War, a nineteen-year, inconclusive war in Afghanistan, financial deregulation, the financial crisis of 2008, a decaying infrastructure, the highest incarceration rate in the world, and a system of campaign finance and gerrymandered congressional districts that makes a mockery of democracy.”

This obviously means that the deception of Meritocracy and having the Elites in our Society fool us into thinking we are certainly inadequate MUST change.And the Change begins with us the students knowing we have quite a big role to play in order for us to get out of this mess we seem to be slowly sliding in and settling for less.

We need to embrace one clear fact that a student from the University you seem to despise has something very valuable they can teach you and in turn you can teach them something so beneficial. as quoted from a luganda proverbial saying (gaku webwa munno...) loosely translated to say wisdom is gotten from your own.

We can't just keep ranting about life's unfairness, the systems brokenness yet we are doing absolutely nothing to change it. for if you surely want to change something, one should do something about it. not ranting all day long.

Yes they are hurdles along the way but that shouldn't stop any 21st century thinker from thinking how best to circumnavigate this problem.

Celebrated Portuguese author Paulo Coelho whose book The Alchemist has sold 65 million copies and has featured on The New York Times bestseller list for over 315 weeks. and also translated into 80 different languages.

states that and when you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. and further adds that it is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life so interesting.

If we know what went wrong then we surely know what needs to be done. And it's us who have to do it without waiting for someone else where to do it for us. The good news is Law Point Uganda which was launched just last year in June as I quoted in my article https://www.lawpointuganda.com/post/about-law-point-uganda-and-the-rising-need-of-a-21st-century-legal-thinker-series

We will try and make sure we salvage the crisis we seem to be allowing ourselves to be in,

Yes there will be mistakes like all projects but we are also willing and humbled to learn and be criticized, that's how we get better and more better.

but together with everyone on board we will surely get out of this dilemma.

This is why we need every student to come on board and embrace this project

Together We All Can Surmount this seem to be impossible challenge.

I hope to catch up with you next time

By

Waboga David.( A student of Law at UCU).