INTRODUCTION
On 8th October 2012, the eve of our nation’s Golden Jubilee, the Body of Christ in Uganda covenanted our nation to God for His purposes in the next 50 years. Since then, leading up to Independence Day annually, Uganda Jubilee Network has coordinated a season of prayer focusing on seeking God’s face and praying for the fulfillment of His purposes for our land. The focus of this year’s prayer and fasting season is the Education sphere with the theme, “Laying New Foundations for the Education Sphere and the Next Generation,” based on Isaiah 58:12:
Those from among you shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
We invite the Body of Christ to participate in this prayer season starting 19th August 2022 and ending 7th October 2022.
BACKGROUND
In the last two years the education sector worldwide has taken a hard hit. Lockdowns resulting from COVID-19 resulted in extended closure of educational institutions. Uganda had the longest pandemic related school shut down in the world, totaling 22 months. The shutdown affected more than 10 million learners in Uganda with devastating impact including among others: loss of personnel as many teachers moved on to other vocations in search for income; insolvency of private educational institutions leading in some cases to loss of facilities; migration of some students to other regions in search for work; surge in teenage pregnancy; and, depression among students due to fear, loneliness, anxiety, distress, and loss of self-esteem – this has resulted in some incidents of suicide. Due to this extended closure, a year of exams was missed, creating a gap in the intake for tertiary institutions. The situation was resolved by opening intake to those who had missed in the previous years.
The increased use of the internet in the delivery of distance education has had a side effect of its abuse by learners, resulting in digital addiction and the degradation of moral values. Recently social media was awash with videos of artists performing obscene dances in student assemblies with the students heartily joining in the vulgar songs. There have also been videos exposing students in obscene situations. Students in another school went on strike demanding that the school administration allow the male students to reside in the same premise with the female students. Teenage pregnancy soared during lockdown. Many girls will be unable to continue with their education due to pregnancy or forced early marriages. On a sadder note, during the recent Makerere University Student Guild Election campaigns, a student was stubbed and bled to death ostensibly by another student.
Soon after schools were reopened this year, some tertiary institutions went on strike. This was followed by a teachers’ strike protesting the prioritization of salaries of science teachers. These incidences have all had the cumulative effect of eroding the gains that had been made in previous years. They have also compromised the future of education and the next generation. There is no question that the education sector is under attack.
On the positive side, an Education Policy Review Commission was formed, and is working on charting the direction the education sector will take for the coming few decades. This is an opportune time to shape the future of education in our country. The last time this happened was thirty years ago. The move towards Universal Primary and Secondary Education was initiated by the report from that commission. Secondly, the oldest university in the region, Makerere University is this year marking its 100th Anniversary (a double jubilee). Seasons of Jubilee are times when God opens opportunities to lay new foundations and start all over again.
The Psalmist posed a rhetorical question in Psalm 11:3, …if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The answer to that question is that the righteous relay the foundations. This is the focus for the fasting and prayer season this year and the focus of the coming year (October 2022 – September 2023). It is a time to pray for the download of divine patterns for the sphere of Education, and work to relay the foundations of Education for many generations to come.
THE OBJECTIVES FOR THE 2022 PRAYER SEASON
- To pray for fresh direction for the Education sector in the country.
- To pray for God’s visitation in the Education sphere and in the marketplace.
- To pray for a new understanding of Education as being part of the Great Commission and to commit to this mandate
- To humble ourselves before God and face up to our failures regarding the education mandate
- To wage spiritual warfare against the hordes of hell that are confusing the church and resisting her advance on this mountain and in the marketplace
- To pray for the strengthening of the teaching ministry in Body of Christ
- To seek God’s enablement for us to fulfill our individual, family, congregational and organizational roles in seeing God’s plan for our generation come to pass.
A prayer guide will be provided. Each week of the 50-day fast will focus on an aspect of the Education sphere and related institutions.
GUIDELINES FOR THE PRAYER AND FASTING
- The recommended mode of fasting is taking one meal over a 24-hour period. We encourage the drinking of plenty of water and light fluids.
- While we encourage believers to participate in all the 50 days, we recognize that many believers are not accustomed to this length of fast, and some have just completed other fasting seasons. We therefore suggest some variations for those who would like to take part in a shorter fast during the period. The fasting period is seven weeks.
- If one took a 24-hour fast on a different day of each of the seven weeks, they would cover all the themes in the prayer guide.
- Alternatively, one could choose one week during the seven-week period to fast and pray over all the themes covered in the prayer guide.
- This period provides the opportunity for every believer to exercise him or herself in the discipline of fasting and stretch him or herself a little more than they are accustomed to.
- Personal, family, organizational, and local congregational matters focusing on aligning with God’s will for the future should be covered in addition to the themes in this guide.
CORPORATE PRAYER CALENDAR
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.
Online Prayer Meetings led by Castle Intercessors - Every evening (10 p.m. – 11 p.m.)
Prayer time led by Intercessors for Uganda. - Wednesday Mornings: 5:15 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.
Weekly Teachings on Spiritual Growth hosted by Uganda Jubilee Network - Sunday Evenings: (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)
Launch of the Theme of the week hosted by Uganda Jubilee Network
Special Dates to Note:
- Thursday 18th August 2022: Launch & dedication of the prayer and fasting season
- Friday, 7th October 2022 (evening): Conclusion of the fasting season
- Wednesday 5th to Friday 7th October 2022: 3-Day Concluding prayer conference, from 6 – 8p.m. every day.
- Saturday, 8th October 2022: Independence eve night prayer vigil. Dedicating the year 2022/2023.
