Bukedea govt institute graduates hundreds after 7-year wait

There were mixed feelings at Bukedea Technical Institute on Friday as the school held its inaugural graduation, marking the end of a seven-year wait for the occasion amongst the institution’s pioneering cohort of 382 students. 

The institution, one of the 21 technical institutes government constructed countrywide with funding from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has faced numerous challenges since its premature opening in 2015.

Consequently, students who enrolled in 2015 and completed their two-year courses in 2017 have had their academic papers held in a crisis due to unclear reasons.

Also affected were those who completed their courses at the school in the subsequent years from 2018 to 2023. 

"I was only given a leaving certificate, which didn't help me secure a job," said John Okodi, who completed a course in electrical installation in 2017.

 Joel Alfred Ogwang, who studied Agriculture and finished in 2020, echoed similar sentiments: "The delay in receiving our academic papers disqualified us from applying for jobs, despite completing our courses." 

Walking with swagger while donning a graduation gown, Ogwang spoke with a smile on Friday saying “while much time has been wasted, we are happy to finally get our papers.”

"God's timing is always the best. So, today I still celebrate," the 29-year-old said at Friday’s graduation attended by Bukedea District officials and dozens of education stakeholders.

Director of the institution Samuel Kaddu Mukasa said they were proud of the milestone amid persistent problems.

"We still face significant challenges including lack of water, power and instructors. The school currently has only six structures running six courses with only 14 government instructors deployed,” he added.

 He explained that the 7- year delay to pass out students “was majorly caused by bureaucracies in the current technical education system which has frustrated many of the school plans.”

"We don't have any say from down here. All things are being done from the Ministry of Education," Mukasa observed as he decried incompletion of major structures at the school since 2016.

 The institute currently has 250 students enrolled in various courses.

Speaking at Friday’s occasion, Bukedea District Education Officer Stephen Okurut urged parents to embrace technical education for their children to get skills for self-reliance. 

"Amidst the challenges, the government is fully committed to supporting technical education. Our role as parents is to guide our children and encourage them to join technical schools," Okurut said. 

Bukedea Resident District Commissioner (RDC) William Wilberforce Tukei, who was chief guest at the event urged the graduates to embrace government development programs like the Parish Development Model, Youth Livelihood Program and Emyooga for socioeconomic transformation.