ESC VOLUNTEERS' STORIES-SECOND WEEK

WEDNESDAY 18.09.2024

This morning I’ve decided to assist at Virag’s class with the group of “Agriculture and Mechanic”; the plan for the lesson is to quickly review all the topics done with Matteo, the previous Skills Development Teacher, so then they can move on and end the program in time for the graduation.

I join the class after half an hour, silently reaching the circle of student seated under the patio, in order not to bother them. I stand behind them, looking for the shadow since I still have to get used to the heat here. When I arrive, Virag has just started to address the topic of “job interview”, giving some advices on what should be done and what should be avoided.

The students are all really concentrated on her explanation and some of them are also actively involved, trying to reply to Virag’s question and to remember what they have previously learnt. From my position, I can spot a student who is “suspiciously” reading through his past notes to find the right answer; maybe he wants to impress the new teacher showing a good memory or he just wants to be sure before saying anything. I would say it is part of the game; everyone in school has “cheated” at some point to get a better mark or to receive a compliment.

Anyway, I focus again on the lesson since now Virag, pretending to be a manager, asks them a list of questions that are commonly posed during a job interview.

“What are your weaknesses?”

“ Time management”, replies a girl while laughing for the embarrassment.

“Level of education”, another student adds.

I admit I have now lost my concentration, leaving my mind free to reflect about this two answers that have caught my attention; “time management” and “level of education” considered as possible weaknesses, seen as possible obstacles to getting a job.

Since I have arrived in Uganda, I have personally and directly discovered that the time here is a concept, is something really flexible, as they have their own so-called “Ugandan Time”. Being on time is something uncommon and unusual, people here are almost always late. They are aware of this, it is rooted in their culture and nature, it is a fact, something universal and unchanged.

It is something that at the end, if you adapt to it, you start to embrace and even appreciate, because what else can you do?

Here if they say “I am on my way”, it means that they are probably still at home and int he worst scenario they still have to shower and to get ready. The same may happen for example during a party; if they say it is going to start at 8pm, be patient, because the first guest will arrive around 10pm.

The “Ugandan time” applies also for work meetings and more formal events, but surely it does not apply for church and religious event; in those cases, they are always on time, or at least they have very little delays, being a matter of priority.

To go back to the reflection, although it seems to be normal and widely accepted, having a bad relationship with time management, it can easily become a cause of firing in a workplace, especially when the delay is something constant or too relevant which impacts on the productivity, affecting the company. Even if the manager of a company, assuming he/she is Ugandan, may expect a “cultural” delay from his/her employees, he/she can’t tolerate it if it leads to negative outcomes.

This is the reason why here, at the Skills Development Academy, the teachers reasonably underline and emphasise the importance of being on time and, in the specific case of a job interview, of arriving even a bit earlier; who starts well is already halfway. It is not a question of forgetting or abandoning their own culture and way of living, which may be even impossible in some cases, considering how deeply rooted they are already, but it is a matter of developing maturity, responsibility and professionalism, values who are fundamental and highly desirable for employment.

So, while the first reply about “time management” made me reflect, the second answer heard sticks in my mind, leaving a bitter taste.

Here the majority of young people lacks education since they have to quit school very early either because they can’t afford fees and expenses or because they have to start working in order to contribute to the livelihood of the rest of the family.

Here the families are often quite numerous, so paying for each member’s education is not sustainable: they so have to renounce and in most cases they have to sacrifice their dreams. Furthermore, here young girls often have to abandon the studies even before the ending of primary school because they become mother, for mistakes or for willingness is not the matter; having a kid leads automatically to more responsibilities, being incompatible with being a student.

The student who have answered “level of education” is a very young student who had to quit school for different reasons and who is now trying to build a better future for himself, taking the most from this opportunity. I can see he is worried and maybe a bit ashamed when he answers; he knows he may encounter difficulties and obstacles in finding a job due to his low level of education, especially if he has to compete with people who have finished their studies. He is now looking on the ground while the lesson keeps going on; I am sure he is overthinking about his situation and his though reality, at the same time being aware that he can’t and he will not, waste this opportunity.

The lack of education can truly negatively affect young people’s lives, crippling and hindering their effort to change their lives.

EMOTER courses, through the Skills Development Academy, give them a second chance to be ready to enter the world of work with strong practical skills and competences acquired and a formal certification in their hand.

The Skills Development Academy is their revenge and their stepping stone to a greater successful life.