{UAH} "Arts courses are useless- Museveni" Monitor Monday August 18, 2014.

I was alarmed to read what is purported to have come from the president of a nation of over 34 million people. The president is said to have described some programs and courses in Ugandan universities as useless, really, is there any course that is useless?

According to Dan Wandera, President Museveni "criticised humanity courses at universities as useless, saying graduates from such departments can hardly solve anything to steer national development." The president has been in power for the last 28 years yet he has done little to rein in on such universities that continue to teach "useless" programs and courses; what could be the problem, and has he lost respect and ability to guide such that his advice is ignored? Or could it be that the universities have seen his advice as ill-intentioned?

The president is again quoted saying, "You ask these arts students what they can solve and they tell you, 'for us we only think.' Think about what?" he asked. To the president, people who think are not good, he asks what they think. Does it mean the president is comfortable with people around him who do not think? If anything, the scientists he seems to be happy with equally think a lot.

The president is frustrated at universities that churn out graduates that become jobless upon graduation.  

The president is also quoted saying, "It is unfortunate that many universities continue teaching very useless courses at degree level rendering their graduates jobless after graduation." He may have a point here but poorly articulated. There is need to produce critical thinkers at all levels. But it is not true that all graduates of such courses are not job creators. Many of the graduates have joined research organizations, administration, and some open businesses such as entertainment, drama, dance etc.

And not forgetting his usual antics, he is quoted saying, "You find many of these people putting on big academic gowns but have no solutions to many of the country's challenges. These people have nothing to help us because they offered useless courses." In other words, the president despises these graduates, he does not consider them educated at all.

The president is proud to have ushered development in some universities and he minces no words in declaring "The universities which I helped to start, including Mbarara University of Science and Technology which have stuck to my advice of only teaching the relevant courses are doing well," Dan states. This is yet that time I once again say, someone with such a successful record must have a tonne of transferable skills that can be used to spur development elsewhere. Why has the president failed to reign on other universities yet he was able to do so in Mbarara University of Science and Technology? Why, why has he not?

The last comment I found wanting is the one of his advice to the graduates of "useless courses." The president is quoted saying, "Courses like Development Studies can be taught as papers under other courses. Dan Wandera states that President Museveni urged humanities graduates to seek slots in the army, police and prisons services. Why do I find this last advice wanting? Everyone knows where the heart of the president lies. With security, you can suffer untold misery if you temper with it because the president is busy professionalizing the army and other security organs. I find it contradictory that the president can urge graduates of "useless courses" to join his brain child; to make it worse, these "useless graduates think a lot," now in the army, "think what?" so why does he advise them to seek slots in the army, police and prisons services? Can we then assume that the men and women currently serving in those institutions are either "useless" but think much such that the president is sending more of their lot to beef up the numbers? 

Finally, I am reliably informed that my president did a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science & Economics) at Dar es Salaam University.  In most universities, political science and economics fall under arts or humanities so basically the president did "useless courses" and could that explain why we are where we are because of his leadership?

 I conclude by disagreeing with what I read more so as having come from the president; was he misquoted but whatever the case may be, there are no useless courses in any university!

Peter Simon