Newly admitted students at Nkumba University have been urged to value discipline as the foundation for academic success and a fulfilling life.
Speaking on behalf of Dr. John Berchmans Byamukama, Dean of the School of Business Administration, Mrs. Benina Epaju, fondly known as Teacher Ben, congratulated the freshers for “making a wise choice” in selecting Nkumba University over “many, many” others. Life is about choices, and you made the right choice. You came to the right place.”
She cautioned students that while university life offers freedom, it also demands responsibility. “Academics go well with personal discipline,” she stressed. “You need discipline with your time, your social life, your behaviour, your personality, your character, all that matters.”
Drawing from the university’s mission statement, Mrs. Epaju highlighted the words “Competence, Character, Creativity” as essential pillars for success. She explained that literal competencies could be proven through certificates, “but if you don’t have character, if you don’t have integrity, if you are not serious with your time, in a way you are incompetent.”
On time management, she said, time is non-negotiable. “God is very just; He has not given some people 27 hours and others 10. We all have 24 hours. Time is perishable. How you use it is up to you.”
While encouraging students to socialize, she advised moderation. “Work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but all play and no work makes you a stupid boy or girl,” she quipped, warning that there would be no school bells to summon them to lectures.
To illustrate the limits of freedom, she narrated a story of a man swinging his umbrella in the street until it struck another man’s nose. “Freedom must be used carefully. Your freedom stops where my nose ends,” the offended man asserted, according to Madam Epaju.
Madam Epaju urged female students to guard against distractions from men, warning them to “put a value” on themselves. “Don’t let these boys waste your time; they will treat you like trash. Similarly, she challenged male students to resist harmful influences and strange habits.” “Treat each other as sisters and brothers.
Mrs. Epaju closed with a light-hearted remark to the young men: “The beautiful ones are not yet born,” before reminding all students to focus on the purpose that brought them to Nkumba. “If you misuse your freedom, you will reach graduation day with nothing to celebrate.”
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