If you asked the average student what their goal was in school, majority would say to get an A or to highly excel at the exams- in short, to pass on to the next class or level. That is a good goal by any standards but is it enough? Should they not be aiming at acquiring knowledge and skills that will effectively give them the good life they deserve?

Getting good grades is in no way a sign that no knowledge or skill has been acquired; however, sadly that is the case most of the time.

According to Mathew Bukenya, the UNEB Executive Secretary, 59.8 per cent of those who sat their A-Level exams scored the minimum two principal passes required for university admission; these total up to 19,298 students. There are some tertiary institutions that will accept less than the minimum requirement but it is safe to say that some of these students will be left with no options open to them. The question asked then is: have they been equipped for this time? Can they be employed- let alone create jobs? Even for those who make it to the tertiary institutions, will they be a burden to the nation on graduating or will they become the job creators urgently needed in the nation after the three to five years spent there?

The answer is NO and therefore deliberate steps have to be taken to address this. The million dollar question is: Where is the problem? Once we get that answer we can find out if there is any desire for this hole to be plugged- and how. The Ugandan government and the Ministry of Education should set up a commission of inquiry to thoroughly investigate this in light of the nation’s future, and provide solutions.