By Dr. Richard Wemesa, PhD
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that labour productivity in Uganda is about $3.53 per hour.
The average productivity in low-income African nations is about $2.93. Uganda’s production is $4.75 less than Kenya’s, even if it is above average.
This implies that Kenya may attract more investors than Uganda, which in turn creates more employment prospects.
This alone is a great motivation for our university graduates, if you can’t find employment, wake up, create own, engage in productive activities, solve current and emerging problems facing Uganda.
When we were growing up, we were told that employment is the end objective of going to school, today when I reflect, it was a wrong narrative.
Today, University graduates are scrambling looking for employment, left, right, they can’t find any, most graduates who are lucky to land an employment opportunity, they are being paid between UGX 300,000 and UGX 500,000.
The employment outlook is not good, so what do you do? Wake up, embrace reality as early as you can and do what comes your way, and do it excellently well, do not despise jobs, start from somewhere.
Remember every day we wake up, things are not the same like yesterday, everything is evolving fast, you slow down you perish.
University graduates should embrace creativity and innovation or else they will perish with their qualifications, the certificates, the Diplomas, the Degrees masters and PhDs.
Creating your own job involves shifting from a job-seeker mindset to an entrepreneurial one, while utilizing existing skills to solve problems that society faces.
There’s no job out there that has been crafted for you, when you leave school, you either create your own job or get employed, if you do not get employed, what next?
Remember all the great companies and organizations graduates aspire to work in, were once started by someone who had a dream, so you can have a dream to create your own jobs.
Remember dreams are not things we see in sleep, dreams are the things that drive us to work hard, spend sleepless nights, and so on.
At the age of 30, problems come un invited, they coming knocking, and reality sets in, I will not tell you which kind of problems come knocking at the age of 30, you will get to know by yourself.
Have you ever wondered why we go to school? Have you ever imagined why we labour right from kindergarten all through university? Have you ever imagined why?
The end objective of why we go to school is not employment, it is something else, that is why so many university graduates today are so frustrated, they went to school with a wrong objective in mind, that is securing employment after school.
The core objective of why we go to school right from kindergarten through university is simple, “acquire a set of skills, that can aid us solve the problems that society faces”.
I jokingly laugh with my other PhD holders, who carry these great titles at various universities, with their office upper doors labeled, example “Dr. Jolwe James, PhD”, Professor of Law, Professor of Business” and so on, yet in essence their PhD and Professorship titles don’t carry alot of meaning.
In my opinion, a PhD is about research that should translates into solving a practical problem in society.
So many PhDs out there are merely carrying these titles through, their careers, retirement and death. What is the whole essence of a PhD if you have never solved any single problem in Society?
In my opinion PhD research should translate into transformation of society by solving problems that the Ugandan society faces today.
Am challenging universities to rethink what a PhD is? Expectations of PhD graduates? And so on.
In my opinion people who deserve PhDs are those so called individuals in the public space who are hands on, who are solving problems that Uganda is facing, there are so many Ugandan’s out there with low levels of schooling, more embrassing without a PhD Qualification, but they actively solving current and emerging problems that Uganda is facing today.
Such individuals are doing a tremendous job, they deserve PhDs the likes of Dr. Denis Ngabirano (Psalms Food industries, King Ceasor Augustus Mulenga (King Ceasor University), Hassan Basajjabalaba (Kampala International University), Hamis Kiggundu (Hamis Group), Patrick Bitature (Simba Group), Sudhir Ruparelia (Ruparelia Group), Dr Emma Naluyima (One Acre Farm), Amos Nzeyi, Gordon Wavamuno, Karim Hijri, Yasin Bakaluba Sekimwanyi, Charles Mbire, and so many out there, they deserve PhDs given their significant contributions to society.
The universities should rethink the criteria for awarding PhDs, A Tangible and non-tangible result like solving practical problems in society is a very important measure.
Recently my friends from Makerere University, impressed me by the policy shift they wish to undertake of phasing off the undergraduate admissions, with a key focus on graduate admissions, Masters and PhDs.
I am fully in support of this policy shift because if Makerere university can specialize in Graduate admissions, then Masters and PhDs can be provided with specialized training, equipped with advanced knowledge and skills relevant and ready to solve practical problems that Uganda faces.
Transformation over information must triumph.We must walk the talk, take actions and solves problems Uganda faces, and create jobs for the young generation. Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, Vc Makerere University, thank you, I must say you are leading the university in the right direction.
Yes, the competency Based Education is here to change the narrative.
Dr. Richard Wemesa is a different PhD, I am hands on, My PhD is practically solving existing problems in my society where I live.
God bless Uganda.
For God and my Country
Dr. Richard Wemesa, PhD
The writer is a PhD, Economics & Planning, but also with hands on in commercial agriculture, food processing, Poultry, Diary, Fishery and Piggery farming enterprises./Voted 3rd best farmer in Uganda. Dr. Wemesa is also a hands on educational coach,Mentor & Entrepreneur
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