Prioritizing education as a strategic blueprint for national economic transformation

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OPINION

By George Musiime

An August 2024 collaborative policy review by the Pan African Coalition for Transformation and the Economic Policy Review Centre made several recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of the revised Lower Secondary Curriculum. Among other things, the paper recommended continuous teacher training, all-round stakeholder engagement and publisher regulation to ensure learning materials stay in tune with curriculum objectives.

While both the policy paper and curriculum revision sought to align education with National Development goals. As a nation, we still have a lot to do and can draw meaningful insights from thoughts shared by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a group meeting of the 3^rd session of the 14^th National Committee of the CPPCC.  In his guidance, president Xi stressed the role of education in supporting scientific and technological advancement as well as talent development. He also emphasized the critical role of the three, not just in modernization but also economic development.

The United Nations (UN) acknowledges that aligning education with sustainable development goals (SDGs) is critical for creating a more equitable and sustainable future for humanity. However, in Uganda like many countries in the global south, access to quality education still is a privilege.

Moreover, as this trend persists, the implication is that the country’s ability to produce the necessary talent to drive economic transformation stays handicapped in the least. A survey by one of Uganda’s local daily from 2024 indicated that out of 400,000 graduates annually only 113000 (28.25%) made it into gainful employment. The major cause for this trend according to the national bureau of statistics, was a skills gap.

However, even where a shortage of jobs is faulted, it can still be linked back to the little progress being made in advancing science and technology.

Sadly, this transmutes into a gap in the national development gains through an over dependence on imported talent and technology, all due to the shaky educational foundation. A lack of capacity in these areas breeds chronic dependence on imported technology and talent, significantly blighting the country’s investment in Research and Development, not to mention skills development.

On the other hand, there’s a plethora of other risks that come with this kind of chronic deficiency in self-sufficiency. Indeed, these risks can range from economic vulnerabilities, a lack of innovation and skills development, weakening education systems, endangered sovereignty and other geopolitical risks.

Whereas imported skills and technology might be an imperative in the beginning, their gains can only be short-term. On the contrary, sustainable growth takes investment in education, research and development as inroads to domestic capabilities. This is how China was transformed into a self-sufficient economy, led the world innovation, STEM education et cetera…deliberately investing in its education. In fact, while this might seem sufficient, President Xi committed to increasing education funding by 5% (174.44 billion yuan) this year. This is a reminder that to be comfortable in the present is to curtail progress and invite stagnation and as a country we must aspire for better if we must attain our goals of modernization.

This is why introspection on these thoughts must provide an impetus to acknowledge that there can be no scientific and technological progress, or innovation, let alone talent cultivation if the garden of education is left unattended. More so, as a country, there is a need to track the talent and skillset of Ugandans not only to know what skills we have but also to ensure maximum utilization of these different skills spread across the population.

Otherwise it is a huge disservice to the country when nationals are contributing towards economic transformation in other places, the same skills we desperately need at home. By defining the country's development goals, the medium and long term, we can determine the skills we need and enhance our capacity to produce people with these skills. It is no different from how China for example is able to produce more than 3.5 million STEM graduates, it takes a long-term strategy.

Therefore, aligning education with both development goals and gaps in the labour market, will also help uphold the value of education. This ensures that there are quantifiable benefits to attaining an education, something that has been slowly receding in Uganda over the years. Unless we are able to achieve this, we shall continue to demean our education to a point where people no longer see any value in having a degree for example and this is nothing but self-sabotage.

The Law of the Dark Forest. Africa’s initial interaction with the outside world was purely characterized by exploitation and domination. However, this has slowly been changing following China’s win-win outcomes, and later, the measures to drive industrialization, and talent development. Unless we develop domestic capacity, we can only be at the mercy of others, especially if mutual benefit and win-win outcomes are not top of their agenda.

If everyone else has a gun pointed at our economic transformation goals, then only by tailoring our education to meet these goals can we be in a better position to achieve them. Therefore, as we work to improve our economic growth, we cannot overlook the role of sound education as a pathway to productivity growth, innovation, competitiveness, skills development, economic resilience et cetera. And only after we settle these, can we switch our emphasis towards engaging with the rest of the world on more favourable terms.

As we learn from President Xi’s advice, meaningful economic transformation must begin with a sound education system. A sound educational foundation paves the way for; the advancement of science and technology, innovation, skills development, and self-sufficiency.

However, self-sufficiency must be viewed not as an end, but as a means towards building domestic capacity the same way China focused on developing domestic capacity before opening up. Therefore, as a country seeking economic transformation, we must acknowledge the self-sufficiency supports our aspirations as chronic decency is against them.

In addition, self-sufficiency is not possible in the absence of innovation, skills development, scientific and technological advancements which are anchored on a sound education system. Thus to pursue economic growth and modernization while ignoring the need to invest in education is like wishing to arrive at the destination without making the journey. Unless education is put at the centre of our development strategy, all we can hope to achieve is nothing different from what we have achieved in the past.

George Musiime is a Research Fellow, Development Watch Centre.
georgemusiime@dwcug.org