By Prossy Nandudu
Access to employment remains the number one challenge for all developing countries including Uganda. This is because most tertiary institutions don’t emphasize practical lessons, from which learners acquire life skills.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the youth population is estimated at 9.3 million, which is 22% of total population by 2021. They add that 37% of the youth in Uganda aged 18 to 30 years are employed while 41 percent are not.
The unemployed percentage is what educational institutions such as the Gayaza High School wants to address through their 9th annual School farm camp.
The farm camp that takes place between the 25th to the 30th of August will train about 600 students in the agriculture value chain with a focus on value addition.
According to Patrick Muhinda, farm manager and Coordinator of the School farm camp, the 600 students, who will come from different parts of the country, will be accompanied by 150 teachers.
While at the school, Muhinda said that students will be given skills that will enable them to start their own enterprises after school.
These include making crisps from potatoes, plantain, dairy products, coffee value addition, cosmetology among others.
Besides the trainings, Muhinda said students will be exposed to farmers around the city which include the Kampala Capital City Farm in kyanja a Kampala suburb, One-acre farm in Entebbe, Rono large scale Poultry farm and also at coffee processing facilities in Namanve among others.
Sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organizations, AVSI, Movit Products, Nobrook, Sums among others, schools with best projects will walk away with a heifer to kick start a livestock project in their respective schools among others.
