The
Need to Identify and Develop Talent in Science and Technology
Many institutions including
Universities, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the state and the
President of the Republic of Uganda are at the forefront of integrating Science
Technology and Innovation into the national development process, and in that
capacity have designed programs geared towards encouraging the youth not only
to pursue Science and Technology based careers but to also excel in studying
and applying Science and Technology in their society so that an abundant
critical mass of Scientists and Technologists is bred to foster National Development
and Social Transformation through Scientific Inventions, Innovations and
Product Development. This can be evidenced by the National Science and
Technology Policy, The National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan, The
compulsory learning of all Science subjects at O’ Level, the Presidential Initiative
to Support Scientists and the President’s commitments in his party manifesto
among others.
With all the
initiatives and good will highlighted above, Uganda’s Education Curriculum and
many other programs do not provide much of incentives for special talents in
sciences to flourish; in fact there is little or no formal talent
identification efforts to;
1. Fish
out the most talented or skilled persons whose technical / hands on skills can
be refined further to feed the technical labor force required for the industry
and
2. To
produce the passionate and motivated persons to invent technologies in their home
stead backyards and/or garages.
Talents emerge from
general ability as a union of genetic dispositions, home and school
experiences, and the person’s unique interests and learning styles. As evidenced
in sports, entertainment and related industries, scouting and tapping of individuals
with potential and interest at an early stage and giving it special attention
will deliver tremendous results in having highly specialized and productive citizens
in any society. This can be replicated for other sectors especially in Science
and Technology.
Putting more emphasis
in talent identification therefore should target primary school pupils and secondary
school students at all levels and the Informal Sector as well to encourage them
to invent or innovate by providing incentives like;
1. Protecting
their Ideas (IPR) and confidence building in the system, that these ideas would
not be replicated or hijacked by opportunists.
2. Providing
scholarships for special talents to technical institutions abroad if possible
but with guarantees of retaining this labor force.
3. Exposing
these talents to successful industrialists and to the Industrial process
for Motivation and an opportunity for young innovators and inventors to get a real
life experience of how the industry works.
This challenge [Skills Gap] is not for Uganda alone, but Africa as a whole and to a lesser extent the developed world. It therefore requires investment and a deliberate approach in order to improve on the quality of the technical Labor force. Countries like China, South Africa, and India among others continue to develop the quality of their scientific technical labor through similar or more refined approaches and the results are as alarming as we all can attest.
