Nabakooba Tasks Schools on Skilling Learners to be Job Creators

Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba has called upon schools to engage learners in practical modes of learning for them to acquire skils in a bid to reduce on the number of job seekers in Uganda.

She made the call at an event where St Theresa Kisubi Girls’ Primary School in Wakiso district was launching their music album, an exhibition and a fundraiser for the construction of the dormitory on October 14.
Themed 'St Theresa skilling talents beyond super excellence' Nabakooba commended the school for embracing the new curriculum of training vocational skills to children.
“I have been impressed with the kind of activities that St Theresa children do. They make cakes, art and craft, sponges, door mats, brooms, and juice among others. Our economy will never be built by white collar jobs. It is the hard skills such as farming, industry and home cottages that are critical to our development," she said.

Nabakooba also emphasized the president’s message of skilling youths in a bid to produce more job creators noting that government has 21 zonal skilling hubs across the country that provide training to youths in courses such as tailoring, bakery, hairdressing, wielding, brick laying among other.

The minister encouraged teachers and parents to engage in government program such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), an initiative aimed at making a deliberate effort to ensure that communities, households are engaged in productive activities at the household level.

In her docket as lands minister, she lauded the Catholic Church for always preserving their land for projects that benefit the community. 
"I thank the Catholic Church for understanding the significance of land and also ensuring that it is utilized well. St Theresa is located in a community with Technical Schools, a university, and hospitals among others. These could not have been possible if the church did not have land," she emphasized.

In her remarks, Sr Mary Josephine Namubiru, the head teacher said the available dormitories are congested and they want to decongest them.
“We want to accommodate the ever increasing number of our daughters in this school," she said, asking for more assistance to complete the project that is estimated to cost more than Shs4billion
Sr Namubiru revealed that the school established a skilling program to engage children in productive work during weekends and evenings to utilize their free time to reduce idleness.