YOUR PLATFORM

I wonder why the media keeps asking star performers what they plan to be. Many people have unrealistic dreams. If these career dreams we read in the papers were to be fulfilled, Uganda would be having obscene numbers of pilots, surgeons, cardiologists, gynaecologists and other ‘big’ professions.

While I appreciate the importance of nurturing a dream, a pupil is not mature enough to paint a realistic picture of what they can or want to be in future.

I challenge media houses to follow up excellent performers and record how many of them end up pursuing the professions they once dreamt of.
We also need to find out if many of them excelled in O’level or A’level. The media owes us a responsibility beyond just gathering news.

We need to establish how the best students at universities performed in their Primary Leaving Exams, Uganda Certificate of Education or Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education.
It is also necessary to find out why some of them deviate from their original career dream.

Following up these stars would show the authenticity of their performance and exposee schools which do not teach but simply drill candidates to make them pass exams. A follow-up would also enable us to appreciate the schools beyond just the number of first grades a school produces.

Jovia Najjuma
Kampala