'Provide guidance, don't force academic choices on children'

By Kassim Habiba

Parents play a pivotal role in shaping their children’s academic paths. While this guidance is often well-intentioned, it can sometimes blur the line between support and control, affecting students’ ability to pursue their ambitions. 

For Mary Wendy Namaganda, a former student of Makerere University Business School (MUBS), her father wanted her to pursue a bachelor of science in leadership and governance. 

“I pursued a bachelor of science in leadership and governance because he believed it could enable me to work anywhere,” she says. 

Despite complying with her father’s wish, Namaganda was so passionate about tourism that she joined the Miss Tourism Busoga 2024/2025 pageant, which opened up opportunities for her. Her parents have since appreciated her choice of taking the tourism path.

Weight of expectation  

Most Ugandan parents, get deeply invested in their children’s education, with the ultimate goal of seeing them secure stable jobs. Historically, fields, such as medicine, law and engineering are viewed as the path to success, leaving little room for alternative career paths.

Denis Okwir, a private counsellor, explains that parents sometimes expect their children to achieve what they (parents) failed to attain, in total disregard for their interests and abilities. 

“This causes unnecessary pressure on the child, and the child may drop out because they lack the motivation,” he says. 

Okwir says parents often compare their children to their friends’ children, leading to unnecessary pressure, and failing to see that each individual has unique abilities.
 
Additionally, he says the mindset that high grades and prestigious institutions guarantee a fulfilling career is wrong and should not overlook the importance of practical skills, networking and personal development. 

Parent's perspectives  

Haji Sadique Ssebagala, a businessman and farmer, believes in maintaining an open dialogue with children when it comes to academic decisions. 

He emphasises that while he wants the best for them, it is crucial to balance his desires with their own. Ssebagala found himself in a predicament with his child who wanted to pursue music, which he did not like. 

“I expressed my concerns, but also took time to understand their passion,” he says. 
Ssebagala suggested to his child that she major in music, an area they were passionate about while also taking supplementary courses that could offer broader career options. 

This compromise allowed his child to pursue their interests while keeping the door open to other opportunities.

Programme switch 

For a number of students, the transition from high school to university is often marked by their Senior Six results. Students who have the power to choose their programmes sometimes choose their dream courses, while others opt for a programme that is convenient. 

Tonny Kajubi found himself pursuing a bachelor of science in computer science on government sponsorship at university, yet he did not have a passion for it. 

He tried to apply for a change of programme, but he was told that in case he did, he was to go back to the first year. 

“Unfortunately, I didn’t go through. So, I chose another programme, whose tuition was affordable at Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology,” Kajubi says.

He switched to a diploma in electrical and electronics engineering (DEE) at the Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology and is now in his second year. Kajubi adds that switching the programmes has given him peace of mind. 

Juma Balunywa Wasswa

The cost of control  

Peter Mayoga Gimeyi, the acting deputy principal at Lugogo Vocational Training Institute, says his colleague’s son ended his life because of being forced to take on a programme he did not like. 

The father paid tuition, but the boy squandered it. When the father found out, he collapsed and was hospitalised. 

“He was suffering a little bit of pressure and ended up in hospital,” Gimeyi says. 

He adds that the son ended his life, after finding out that he was responsible for putting his father in the hospital. The relatives only informed him about his son’s death and burial after his discharge, because they worried about how it would affect him.

Forced compliance  

Some children decide to pursue courses that their parents want and later opt for those in their fields. 

“They say, father here is your course, I have completed it. Now let me do mine. These children go through the hassle of going back to restart life at the university in pursuit of their interests,” Juma Balunywa Wasswa, the former Makerere University Business School (MUBS) principal, says.

Career Guidance  

Jumma Lwanga, the director of studies and a former career guidance teacher at Kakungulu Memorial School in Kibuli, Kampala, narrates his encounter with conflicts between parents and children on A’level combination choices. 

One particular incident was of a student who changed his A’ level combination from sciences to arts. Lwanga had persistently tried to convince the parent about the student’s inability to do sciences in vain. 

“In the first term, the child ended up getting 5% in mathematics and 10% in biology. Why? Because O’level is different from A’level,” Lwanga says. 

He explains that in Kakungulu Memorial School, teachers take time to talk to both the parents and students because, at the end of it all, it is the child who sits in class, and, therefore, knows their abilities and weaknesses.

“Allow the child to choose depending on their abilities,” Lwanga explains. Balunywa says when he was a student, programmes were limited — students doing biology would pursue medicine or pharmacy, while those who did physics would go for engineering. Bachelor of Commerce, law, social sciences and education were for arts students. 

“Makerere University Business School, which I left in 2023, has over 20 different undergraduate programmes in business alone,” he says. 

This move has left future university students with many programmes to choose from, but with the presence of a career guidance unit in MUBS, students are often advised on what to do.

Refusal to comply 

Lwanga says parents sometimes make the children’s lives difficult. He narrates a case of one student whose parents harassed them after the school recommended a change of subject combination. 

“The student was doing biology, chemistry and mathematics. Her performance was so bad that we called her parents to discuss the next step. She even did remedial on November 8 last year and failed. We told her that she should try elsewhere. We, however, said this is not the final decision,” he says.

Lwanga proceeded to consult the parent, stating that mathematics was a problem and that she should instead opt for food and nutrition. The parents’ answer was damning, as they opted to have her continue with the same combination in another school.

Lecturer's opinion 

Juma Balunywa Wasswa explains that the problem is with educated parents who also studied up to the university level.

“The problem is with those parents who are already degree holders, who are already in certain professions,” Balunywa says, adding that such parents want their children to follow their professional paths or opt for courses they consider marketable. 

Gerald Walulya, a Makerere University lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Communication, says parents’ careers play a big role in shaping their children’s academic decisions. 

“Even if you don’t tell them anything, the way you behave is a major indicator of what choices they take in the future,” he says. 

Walulya, however, explains that parental influence has lessened over the years and children have become empowered and much more knowledgeable in comparison to years ago. 

He says they are more assertive, in terms of making sure that they are listened to.

Lack of support 

Denis Okwir, a private counsellor, notes that children whose parents are not involved in their academic decision-making may struggle to make informed decisions about courses, career paths or college options. 

“This can lead to confusion, poor decisions or missed opportunities,” Okwir notes. Walulya states that parental influence can also have a positive impact on children’s academic choices. Parents need to guide them to make the right decisions without ignorance. 

“They can do this by educating their children on the different consequences that might arise from the different career choices that they make,” he says.

Additional information by Eunice Akullo