DEGREE WON’T FEED YOU! Speaker Oboth Tells MBI Graduands To Create Jobs, Not Hunt For Them
Speaker Oboth addresses at the MBI congregation
KAMPALA: Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth has challenged Ugandan graduates to look beyond paper qualifications and focus on practical skills, innovation, integrity and enterprise as they enter an increasingly competitive job market.
Oboth-Oboth made the call on Friday, August 21, while addressing the 16th Graduation Ceremony of Makerere Business Institute (MBI) at its campus in Makerere, Kampala, where 564 students graduated with certificates and diplomas in Journalism, ICT, Business and Finance.
The ceremony also marked 33 years of MBI’s service in education and was attended by parents, guardians and former Makerere University Chancellor Prof. Mondo Kagonyera.
The Speaker told the graduands that the value of education should not end with the acquisition of certificates, warning that the real test begins when graduates are required to apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems.
“Today you receive a certificate; tomorrow the world will ask what you can do with it. Education must therefore give us more than documents. It must give us skills, character and the courage to create opportunities,” Oboth-Oboth said.
He said tertiary institutions have a critical responsibility to prepare young people for an evolving national and global economy by equipping them with practical knowledge and the ability to adapt to changing demands.
The Speaker also urged the graduands to embrace technology without losing the human qualities that remain essential in the workplace, particularly character, judgment and integrity.
“Artificial intelligence will transform the workplace, but it will never replace character, judgment, and integrity,” he said.
Oboth-Oboth encouraged the graduates to use their training to establish enterprises, create employment and develop solutions to challenges affecting their communities and the country at large.
He also addressed concerns raised over the rising operational costs faced by private education institutions, including taxation, utilities, internet expenses and infrastructure requirements.
The Speaker reassured education administrators that Parliament would advocate for an enabling policy environment aimed at ensuring that Ugandans can access affordable and quality education.
The plight of orphans and vulnerable children also featured prominently in his address, with the Speaker highlighting challenges including school dropout, early pregnancy and marriage, child labour, drug abuse and mental health difficulties.
He said Parliament remained committed to advocating for policies that keep vulnerable children in school while creating pathways through which they can access skills, opportunities and productive livelihoods.
The Speaker warned that Uganda could not afford to leave sections of its potential workforce behind, urging stakeholders to ensure that vulnerable children are given a fair opportunity to complete their education and acquire employable skills.
Kawempe Division South MP Hajjat Madina Nsereko Ntale reinforced the message, urging the graduands to embrace hard work, discipline and self-reliance as they transition from school into the world of work.
She pointed to government wealth-creation programmes, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), as some of the opportunities young people can utilise to build sustainable livelihoods.
Nsereko Ntale urged the government to work with young people as genuine partners in implementing such programmes, challenging the graduates not to spend all their time looking for formal employment.
Instead, she encouraged them to utilise available opportunities, including the UGX1 million PDM SACCO funding, to establish viable enterprises and create jobs for others.
“Become employers rather than job seekers,” she told the graduands.
In his closing remarks, Oboth-Oboth congratulated the management and staff of Makerere Business Institute for 33 years of educating and equipping Ugandans, urging the graduating class to regard their qualifications as a launch pad rather than the end of their journey.
He challenged them to make their education count for God and the country by applying their knowledge with integrity, innovation and a strong sense of responsibility.
Makerere Business Institute was founded in 1993 by Nathan Itungo, the Member of Parliament for Kashari South. The institution offers certificates and diplomas in business, ICT, journalism and vocational disciplines.
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