By Patrick Uma
In 2013, the State Minister for Higher Education, Dr John Chrysestom Muyingo in an article titled: ‘‘Our Youths needs Vocational Skills and not misplaced Pomp’’ ([Observer, April 10, 2016) cited the following statistics on the pathetic youth unemployment in Uganda.
Unemployment in Uganda today stands at between 64% and 70% with some figures putting at even higher than that. About 400,000 Youths are released annually into the Job Market to compete for approximately 9,000 available Jobs. About 30% of the youths who are institutionally qualified in Uganda are unable to find Jobs and the situation is even worse for semi-skilled and unskilled Youths
With this staggering rate of Youth unemployment in Uganda, opportunities for youth in Uganda remains a challenge that needs to be addressed urgently before it escalates into a terrible situation.
One of the Ways I would boost opportunities for the Youth is to advocate for you to ‘think through opportunities,’ which the Maltese physician, author, inventor and consultant, Edward de Bono considers the most important human Skill.
Edward de Bono states: ‘‘I believe that the most important skill which youngsters can be taught is thinking… it can be taught in just as formal and deliberate way as Mathematics. If we are looking at the skills with which a person leaves school then the skill of thinking is more important.’’
De bono invented the term ‘Lateral thinking’ or the Six thinking Hats. The Technique was devised by De-bono in 1985 to give groups a means to reflect together more effectively.
In the Early 2000s, the New Labor government in United Kingdom used the Six Thinking Hats technique to teach unemployed Workers how to think and the employment rate for those who learned how to think went up to 500 percent.
I would advocate and advise our leaders so that this thinking Techniques is incorporated into our School Curriculum.
Another way of boosting opportunity for the Youths in Uganda is to regularly bring various employers and the education sector players so that a thorough engagement is forged between them on which area that needs to be studied in school for possible employment opportunity in the Future.
As Reeta Roy, the Chief Executive of Master Card foundation in her interview with the Guardian [20th August. 2014.] stated youth unemployment in developing countries is a complex issue that needs collaboration.
I agree with her because Uganda produces a number of graduates who study courses which are not marketable and collaboration between employers and education providers will help to curb down Unemployment.
With Uganda’s System of education which is described as creating more job seekers than job creators and expensive for the poor people in villages, I would campaign for youths to study open online courses [MOOC] which are offered free from top Universities around the world. Being a beneficiary and a campaigner for free-online studies, I think this would boost opportunities for youth.
Mr Uma is a freelance Journalist with a passion for community development
