Lira, Uganda – Parents in Nortern Uganda have been urged to stop forcing their children into wrong career paths in order to end lack of jobs and corruption in the region.
The urgent call came on Saturday 7th December 2024 as Prof. Okaka Opio Dokotum the Deputy Vice Chancellor Lira University was speaking on VOG 104.4 FM during the Youths Agenda program as he facilitated on Career Guidance.
The Most renown professor recounted his own experience how his own father nearly ruined his career by forcing him to take science subjects targeting Medical Doctor and the rest and yet he was good at artistry and wanted to be an author.
“My very own father destroyed every art work and master pieces i came up with those years you know I wanted to become an author but he charged the Headteacher of Pongdwongo Sir Samuel Baker School to not allow me do anything concerning Literature,” Testified the heartbroken Professor.
Okaka Opio clearly revealed the need for parents to study their children’s interests and modle them in that path.
“You buy a toy car and after a few days you caine that child because he has unscrewed the toy, not knowing that he or she might become the greatest engineer and that is the manifestation.. and no doubt, many people relinquishes certain careers becauseb they were forced to do. You find a doctor becoming a drug addict etc.”
Professor Dokotum’s powerful call clearly relays the challenge many have gone through for years interms of choosing what kind of job they must do.
Asked to solve the long hidden mystery of career failures in Northern Region, the Assistant Registrar of the same University Mr. Kilama Wilfred Acayo related such circumstance to poor guidance which some relatives influence the learners through unreal myths there by sending them to a wrong path which later land them to wrong jobs.
“They see other people’s assets and think that would be the best job for their children which is a wrong idea and unreal myth,” said Kilama.
Kilama however urged parents and youths to seek for career guidance in different universities around inorder to not float with their papers.
Both Kilama and Professor Okaka’s words are clear and would be a determining point for the region to change direction in the way they see the different jobs if youths must not float.
