Help students register innovative products

KAMPALA - Teachers should identify and support students who create new innovations to register with the Uganda Registration Bureau in order to protect their patent rights, the executive director of Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) has said.

Officiating at Educate!'s annual national  students business club competition at Aga Khan High School  in Kampala recently, Dr. Frank Ssebbowa  said many students who come up with various product innovations lose legal rights to their ideas to crafty people who rush to register them before the rightful owners do, hence denying them profits.

 "Registration will help these young people to maintain their trademark which they can develop in the future" said Ssebbowa.

Six finalist schools competed for the grand prize.

They were Bukooli College from Bugiri, Nakalooke Islamic from Mbale, Wanyange Girls School from Jinja, Tororo Girls School, Mbogo High School and Lira Town College.

Mbogo High students put their products on display. (Credit: Jacquiline Nakandi)

Students of Nakaloke Islamic School also exibited their products. Credit: Jacquiline Nakandi)

Lira Town College beat all to the prize and received a cheque of sh500,000 from Victoria University, which sponsored the competition, alongside Vision Group.

Educate! is a non- governmental organization which recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports to work towards transforming secondary education in Uganda and to develop leaders and entrepreneurs who will drive long-term sustainable development.

Currently, Educate!'s model is delivered to over 70,000 students in over 350 secondary schools across the country.

Lira Town College won the competition. (Credit: Jovita Mirembe)

UIA boss Ssebowa also appealed to producers to add value to their products in order to bring more revenue and development to the country.

Patrick Bitature, the chairman of Simba Group and a prominent businessman, was the guest speaker at the event.

He told students to embrace the culture of saving, punctuality and improve their attitude towards work in everything they do so that they can achieve success.