KAMPALA, UGANDA – The Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Jacob Marksons Oboth- Oboth has advised Ugandan students to look beyond paper qualifications and focus on practical innovation, integrity and enterprise job creation.
The Speaker made the call while addressing attendees at the 16tyh Graduation ceremony of Makerere Business Institute (MBI)at its campus in Makerere, this morning.
As it marked its 33 years of service, Rt. Hon Oboth – Oboth used the occasion to address key challenges in Uganda’s education sector, workforce readiness, and the growing social vulnerabilities affecting young people.
“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,” he told the graduands who were also accompanied by their parents and guardians.
The Speaker told the gathering, which was also graced by Former Makerere University Chancellor, Prof. Mondo Kagonyera, that the role of tertiary education in an evolving national and global economy is to provide true learning that goes far beyond academic credentials.
“To the graduands, let me say: today you receive a certificate; tomorrow the world will ask what you can do with it,” Rt. Hon. Oboth stated, adding that education must therefore give them more than documents.
“It (education) must give us skills, character, and the courage to create opportunities,” he said.
The Speaker further noted the challenges faced by orphans and vulnerable children, including school dropout, early pregnancy and marriage, child labour, drug abuse, and mental health challenges.
To redress this, he reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to advocating for policies that keep vulnerable children in school and provide them with pathways to skills and opportunities, noting that the country cannot afford to leave any part of its future workforce behind.
Rt. Hon. Oboth – Oboth further encouraged the graduands to embrace technology while retaining their humanity, urging them to build enterprises, create jobs and use their skills to solve problems in their communities and beyond.
“Artificial intelligence will transform the workplace, but it will never replace character, judgment, and integrity,” Speaker Oboth noted.
In response to concerns raised regarding operational costs for private institutions—including taxation, utilities, internet costs, and infrastructure, the Speaker reassured administrators that Parliament would advocate for an enabling policy environment that ensures affordable, high-quality education.
The Member of Parliament for Kawempe Division South, Hon. Hajjat Madina Nsereko Ntale echoed his call and urged the graduands to embrace hard work, discipline, and self-reliance as they transition into the world of work.
The legislator noted that the government has rolled out several wealth-creation initiatives, including the Parish Development Model (PDM) designed to empower citizens economically, and called on the government to work hand in hand with young people as genuine partners in implementing these programmes.
She challenged the graduands not to spend their time job-hunting, but to instead leverage opportunities such as the UGX 1 million PDM SACCO funding to start viable enterprises and become employers rather than job seekers
Closing his address, Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth congratulated the management and staff of Makerere Business Institute on 33 years of enlightening minds, encouraging the class to view their qualification not as a destination, but as a launch pad to make their education count for God and their country.
MBI was founded in 1993 by the Hon Nathan Itungo who is also the Member of Parliament Kashari South. The institution awards certificates and diplomas in business, ICT, journalism, and vocational disciplines.
During this year’s graduation, 564 students graduated with diplomas and certificates in Journalism, ICT, Business and Finance.
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