According to Reverend Father Michael Kamulegeya, the Diocesan Education Secretary, the initiative is embedded in a new education policy work plan that all Catholic Church-founded institutions in the diocese are expected to implement.
The Masaka Diocesan Education Secretariat has launched a wide-reaching campaign to promote energy-saving cooking technologies in its schools, as part of a strategic effort to reduce deforestation linked to excessive firewood use.
According to Reverend Father Michael Kamulegeya, the Diocesan Education Secretary, the initiative is embedded in a new education policy work plan that all Catholic Church-founded institutions in the diocese are expected to implement.
Fr. Kamulegeya explained that the policy mandates all school administrators to transition from traditional firewood-based cooking methods to more sustainable, energy-saving alternatives. The overarching objective, he said, is to eventually eliminate the use of firewood in all schools, starting with the adoption of energy-saving stoves as a medium-term intervention, while preparing for a full transition to clean energy in the long term.
“All schools under the diocese are now required to enroll in the energy-saving cooking stove project, which has been under pilot for the past two years,” said Fr. Kamulegeya.
Pilot Success and Project Expansion
Josephine Mukasa, the Project Coordinator at CARITAS Masaka Diocesan Development Organisation (MADDO)—the Catholic Church’s development arm in the region—said the pilot phase has already been implemented in 60 educational institutions across the diocese.
She noted that schools that have adopted the energy-saving stoves have managed to reduce firewood consumption by up to 60 percent, a significant achievement in the fight against environmental degradation. “It is a substantial reduction, which is directly contributing to environmental conservation,” she said.
The Diocese oversees 596 educational institutions spread across 10 districts. These include 500 nursery and primary schools, 77 secondary schools, 16 vocational and technical institutions, and three agricultural colleges. Mukasa revealed that the diocese aims to expand the project to at least 50 percent of its schools by the year 2028.
Preparing for a Clean Energy Future
Edward Mukasa, Chairperson of the Masaka Diocesan Headteachers Association, noted that schools are being encouraged to prepare early for the shift to energy-efficient cooking systems.
He added that, in addition to promoting the piloted stoves, efforts are underway to identify partners who can support schools in transitioning to clean energy solutions. One of the long-term options being explored includes solar-powered cooking technologies.
“We’ve started benchmarking clean cooking technologies that utilize solar energy,” Mukasa said. “This will be among the clean cooking alternatives we intend to adopt in the near future.”
