Robin Kisti has thrown her support behind Nansana Municipality MP Zambaali Bulaasio Mukasa’s call for the Ministry of Education to abolish holiday schooling, arguing that children and parents have had enough of the practice.
Kisti praised the legislator for raising the issue in Parliament and said she would gladly celebrate the move if holiday classes were brought to an end.
“Hon. Zambaali of Nansana Municipality, if I had flowers, I would give you some for the point you raised on the floor of Parliament, requesting the Ministry of Education to impose an immediate directive to abolish holiday schooling,” Kisti said.
The media personality revealed that her opposition to holiday classes is not new. She said she disliked attending them even when she was a student, although she admitted there was one thing she enjoyed about school holidays.
“I swear, me too, I am fed up with those things. Even when I used to go to school in my childhood, I hated it. The only thing I loved about it was that it was the only chance to show off our casual neat outfits,” she recalled.
Kisti argued that children need time away from the classroom to relax and recharge, particularly students who already feel pressure from their school workload.
In her view, filling every holiday with additional lessons can leave children overwhelmed and encourage cramming rather than giving them meaningful time to rest.
Her argument also comes from a personal place.
Kisti said her son is currently in Primary Seven and lives with his father. Because school holidays are one of the opportunities she has to spend time with him, she said holiday classes have made those visits more difficult.
“My son is only in P.7 and he lives with his father, and the fact that it is during holidays when I get to see him, now I can’t get to see my child simply because Romel has to be in holiday class,” she said.
Kisti went even further, arguing that a child’s performance in Primary Seven should not be treated as the ultimate measure of future success.
“Give me my child. I don’t care if he fails P.7. He won’t fail in life because of failing to excel in P.7. I beg, give me mine,” she said.
For Kisti, the debate is therefore about more than classroom schedules. She believes school holidays should also provide children with an opportunity to rest and families with time to reconnect.
She thanked Zambaali for raising the matter in Parliament and urged parents to support the push to end holiday schooling.
The debate now puts renewed attention on how Uganda balances academic demands with children’s need for rest, family time and life outside the classroom.