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A case for higher education

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Jamada Musa Kalinda

I am one of the thousands of people graduating from Makerere University this year. I will be graduating with a law degree from the School of Law. 

In the last year, I have been advocating for quality education in Uganda and across the continent and I am concerned about the growing negative attitude towards higher education.

Graduation season is usually characterised by both celebration and worry. The worry is often an introspection on the value of education, particularly higher education. 

We are all now accustomed to seeing a few graduates during the graduation season protest on the streets of Kampala with placards reading “What Next?”

The belief in education being the “key” is changing, and maybe rightly so. Despite the high literacy levels in Uganda and across the continent, unemployment rates are still too high. This comes against the backdrop of an increasingly expensive education system, especially university education.

Of course, the blame is often cast on the relevance of the education curriculum, and the quality of graduates that universities churn out, whom employers argue are not professional or ready to work. 

With the growing popularity of technical, education and entrepreneurship, the proverbial “Don't be job seekers, be job makers” is now more prevalent.

But for a country whose leading ideology is value addition, it would be regressive to have a negative attitude towards higher education, which is the human capital version of value addition. 

We need to increase employment and income, but this should not lead us to believe that we ought to develop a labour focus of predominantly semi-skilled workers.

Universities like Makerere are now investing more in research, this is not misplaced, it is only high time. 

Yuval Noah Harari argues that one of the biggest push factors for the development of our species was accepting ignorance because real transformation lies in the things that we do not know yet.

In many developed countries, it is the groundbreaking research in economics, science, and technology that has become the springboard for development. 

We cannot let anyone, young or old fall into the belief that our national agenda is simply to put food on the table and that's it. That would be the start of the creation of a subsistent mindset.

However, it would be unfair and insensitive to advocate for higher education without addressing the two major challenges of affordability and a delayed return on investment. 

Education in Uganda has become increasingly expensive, especially university education. 

There are two solutions to this; the long-term strengthening and growth of the economy should enable more people to afford university education. The other is the provision of more financing options.

I am not afraid to say that many Ugandans including myself have been educated on school fees loans or public financing from the government or religious, charity, or civil institutions. These financing options should be made available to more people.

The second challenge is that of the return on personal investment in education. One of the biggest financial investments for an average Ugandan is not bonds, foreign exchange, or treasury bills, it is school fees. Except in most cases, it is not the “investor” that is expected to enjoy the returns.

Despite this, often several educated individuals still find difficulty finding employment. 

I believe this is for two reasons; the first is that our economy is not developed enough to create the necessary opportunities that accommodate the few professionals that we have.

The other hindrance is the quality of education. And yes, there have been reforms in the education system and we await to see how they will affect employment levels. 

But from a professional point of view, many employers will say that they are failing to make the right hire because graduates lack professional skills.

The solution is investment in internship, graduate, and volunteering programmes that would offer future professionals work experience and the opportunity to learn how to work. 

Work just like riding a bike is something you learn and get better at over time. We need to invest in professionalism if it is what we desire for our populace, and that means providing meaningful internships and graduate programmes for young people.

Jamada Musa Kalinda is a lawyer and
education Advocate