Leveling the Playing Field
Lessons from a Youth Soccer Tournament
The Tournament
Local government in Uganda is composed of administrative bodies with leaders at various levels. The village is the smallest unit, followed by the parish (consisting of a number of villages), the sub-county (a number of parishes), the county, and the highest level of local government — the district.
I got to know the local chairperson (LC) of the village, and when he heard about my interest in the challenges faced by the youth – a huge segment of the population in Uganda – he invited me to a youth tournament where young men would compete in soccer, and young women in netball.
Even though I arrived late at the tournament – the rain had kept this fair weather fan away – he greeted me enthusiastically and asked me to sit with him.
Before I knew it, like an important person, I was first in line shaking hands with the finalists of the netball tournament. Now I know why important people like power, and don’t want to give it up!
I was soon sidelined however when the national-level Member of Parliament arrived. I was still able to greet the soccer finalists, but I was near the last in line.
All this attention on me partly because I had an interest in the youth and the village LC had introduced me to various other local government leaders, and partly because I look different. Here, anyone from outside is treated as an important guest. They are very welcoming.
At the end of the tournament, there were various speeches, and they had a political component. Many politicians present were from the opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP). The LC is from the ruling political party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM). Unfortunately, the initial introductions failed to recognize the LC (presumably as he is not part of the NUP), and this got a few people upset.
Fairness was at issue since the LC had helped with the tournament logistics and also had a youth team from his village participating in the tournament. The LC was eventually recognized and had an opportunity to address the crowd. The tension thus dissipated, and all ended well. However, this got me thinking more about the challenges facing Uganda and its youth.
The number of youth below 30 years of age represents over 77% of the population. Uganda’s median age is 15.9 compared to a global value of 30.3. These youth come from many different indigenous communities in Uganda. Youth unemployment and underemployment are major issues facing Uganda and many other countries in Africa.
A Level Playing Field
There are specific characteristics you are born with and can’t change, such as your ethnicity. There are others you pick up along the way, through your parents, caregivers, and others around you, such as your socio-economic status at birth and your religion, and others you develop yourself through choices you make. Within Uganda, there are many differences between people.
Soccer, like other sports, attempts to limit the impact of these differences and level the playing field. Each team pits its abilities against the other, with the rules and regulations of the game applying equally. Even in this situation, a team can win against the run of play through sheer luck. However, the stronger team will likely win most of the games played between the two.
Here too, you can argue about resources; one team may have significant resources to attract the best players, coaches, etc. So perhaps it’s still not a level playing field. However, the other team still competes, knowing that at least on the field, they will play under the same rules.
Leveling the Playing Field in Education — A good start
If there is universal access to education, it’s an attempt to level the playing field. The curriculum and examinations are the same for all. Again, the characteristics and resources a child comes in with may provide a ‘leg-up’, increasing their chances of doing better in the exams than the less fortunate. Each child, given the opportunity, still takes the exam, knowing that at least it is the same for all.
In soccer, if you win, you get a feeling of accomplishment, bragging rights, and perhaps financial rewards. In education, if you succeed, you also get a feeling of accomplishment, bragging rights, and, in this case, an expectation of financial rewards.
In soccer, you choose to play, you know the rules and regulations, and you know the likely outcomes—win, draw, or lose. You accept these outcomes as inevitable before playing.
In education, it’s not as clear-cut. If you can’t study, due to the socio-economic circumstances of your parents or for other reasons, you lose an opportunity to improve your financial well-being and achieve your full potential.
The outcomes of studying are also not as clear-cut; you could end up working in your dream job, unemployed, or somewhere in between. In Uganda, many end up being unemployed or underemployed.
There’s an expectation that education will prepare you for the challenges of adulthood and earning a living. Education is imposed, in that the curriculum is essentially pre-determined by others, and you really don’t have much of a choice, it’s either take it for a chance at life or leave it at your peril.
Therefore, the curriculum design should take into account the current and likely future opportunities in the country of its students, and not be based on university entrance requirements or job opportunities in other countries.
Uganda has made progress in this regard by introducing a student-centric teaching and learning approach and promoting critical thinking and entrepreneurial skills. It’s an important first step.
Level the Playing Field for Ugandans
There’s an onus on the various leaders of Uganda, both in power and in opposition, to not only ensure the education system is relevant to the current and future needs of the country, but that employment and self-employment opportunities exist for those graduating at various levels (primary, secondary, and post-secondary).
In order to achieve this, teamwork, dialogue, and action are required on the part of all Ugandan leaders, including political, cultural, religious, business, and educational, irrespective of political affiliation, ethnicity and religion. In the biggest tournament of all, Team Uganda is playing against the other countries of the world, not against each other.
A suboptimal education system, and a dearth of economic opportunities for many Ugandans, may ultimately benefit other nations, which, in the league tables of economic development and advancement of its human capital, will continue to sit high above, and have easy and cheap access to Uganda’s rich and diverse resources, as Uganda itself struggles, and faces relegation into the abyss, in all its connotations.
Team Uganda needs its most talented individuals and entities to play together as a team.
Author Bio
Retired and a student again. An introvert who prefers to write more than talk. Currently focused on his country of birth, Uganda. Not sure what’s next.
