Parents cautioned on interfering with students' career dreams

Parents have been cautioned against interfering with career dreams of their children, saying limited jobs shouldn’t be an excuse.

Ms Suezanne Kayizzi, the chief executive officer of Uganda Aviation School, said some parents are holding children at ransom threatening not to pay tuition for them if they refuse doing courses chosen for them.

“I have received cases where children complain that are forced to do courses by their parents. That is holding your child at ransom. You are denying them to achieve their childhood dreams,” Ms Kayizzi said.

Ms Kayizzi made the remarks at Entebbe airport during a staff and students study tour.

Ms Kayizzi’s argument reflects Dr Anthony Wechuli’s experience who was forced to do a medicine course yet his dream was to become a journalist.

“I did medicine to please my father because it is not what I wanted to be. It is now challenging me because I don’t feel what I am doing. I find hospital work boring me,” Dr Wechuli’s said at spelling bee competitions in Kampala recently.
Citing an example of her former students who are working at Fly Dubai, Ms Kayizzi urged parents to let children pursue their dream careers.
“Two of my former students had been discouraged by their parents. The parents believed that their daughters could not get jobs since Uganda has no air company. But they are jubilating now,” Ms Kayizzi said.

The students were taken to the airport to understand how work is done at the entrance, in cargo lines, passengers’ room, ticket making and control tower.

“Being a hostess means you are knowledgeable on issues related to flights. You must know how check-ins are done. You must know how to guide first travellers. This is why we focus on practical part rather than theory,” Kayizzi said.

Mr Newton Barenzi, UAS’s communications officer, added that they want students to acquire basic knowledge and skills on how to counsel anxious travellers, how aircrafts set off and land and how the different units at the airport work together.

He said whenever students are exposed to practical work, they get used on how to manage crises forinstance using fire extinguishers and emergency doors.

She said five of their former students are working with Fly Dubai, three with Rwanda Air, four with Qatar airways while others are employed by Kenya, South Africa and African Express airways among other air companies.