Education Is The Key But Where Is The Door? A Look At The First Western Uganda Career Guidance Fair

Growing up, we were always told that Education is the key, but no one seemed to show us where the door was. That same adage is still as famous in schools and now, just like
back then, very few seem to be lucky enough to identify the door! So many end up with the wrong key for the wrong door and some with a key for no door at all. It is, therefore,
important that in addition to acquiring education, students know why exactly they are doing this, what they want to achieve with it and how exactly they intend to do that.

The First Western Uganda Career Guidance Fair was an opportunity for students to be able to tackle the dynamics surrounding shaping career decisions in the context of
Uganda’s competitive job market, when they still have the time to do that. The Fair was organised by Education Concepts Limited on 11th March 2017 at Ntare School in Mbarara, with a number of participating schools from all over the region.

In addition to speakers as prolific as Makerere University’s Amanda Ngabirano, Kyambogo University’s Nicklison Twinamatsiko of the famous “Chwezi Code” and Mbarara University’s Solomon Agum, the students were also exposed to business and technical skills by a team from Uganda Business And Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB). The students were reminded that technical and vocational education is not for failures in life and actually comes in handy as an avenue for skills acquisition in a world where creating one’s own job is the modus operandi.

The event was spiced up with a talent session which involved dancing, singing and poetry, a session that students seemed to enjoy a lot. It was a timely breather just before lunch, given that it followed an intense morning of focus and concentration, listening to speakers attentively, asking questions and having them answered. The talent session was surely
a moment of called for entertainment.
The afternoon session involved sub dividing students into smaller groups, with each focusing on a variety of topics but unlike the morning session where students were hearing from speakers, this particular session was more interactive. It was more of a conversation between students and speakers, a thing that reduced tension and gave students the opportunity to ask questions more freely!

By about 4.30pm when participants were taking group portraits and sharing pleasantries, it could be concluded that more room must be created for career guidance. It was evident that students still had so much to ask, yet the event inevitably had to end.

For those who participated, their door must already be in sight and as they continue on their
journey to acquire the key, they sure will be better prepared than they previously were.

Education Concepts is an Education Consultancy that creates unique practical concepts aimed at guiding teachers and students at all levels of the education system.