As a person who has been in the education system, as a teacher for many years, the biggest challenge that we have is our university education is so theoretical. You find that training and education at a lower level might give more practical skills to people than at a higher level.
Increasingly, our focus should be to give practical education in a way that gives practical skills to the people who we are educating. We should do so hands-on. Certainly, issues of income generation should be considered very seriously in our education system, for example.
In whatever, whether you want them to be teachers or doctors or engineers, it is just not enough to give them theoretical knowledge. We should emphasise practically oriented knowledge – letting them get out there to have experiential learning. We give them attachments and so on. Practical training is very important.
The issue of innovation in our training is coming up more and more now. I think this is the direction we should go. Because in that way, people begin to question things, and begin to turn around situations, and make it more practical, more useable. And not think that innovation should be left for people who come from elsewhere.
Doing things differently, and just being able to think creatively, that is innovation. The focus should be on practical training and making sure that the people we are educating should not just remain theoretical but get down and do things. If you are doing agriculture, go out there, spend more time on the field and learn, other than in the classroom.
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Professor Dr. Christopher Garimoi Orach is the Board Chair of CPAR Uganda. He expressed his views, herein contained, during an interview with Mr. Philip Luswata, a Media Consultant, at the CPAR Uganda Lira Learning Centre. Prof. Orach is a professor of public health at Makerere University School of Public Health, where he has been working for many years – including being the Deputy Dean; Head of Department of the Department of Community Outreach and Behavioural Sciences; actively involved in several research activities; and he teaches.
CPAR Uganda Ltd 
4 responses to “Prof. Orach on why it isn’t enough to give learners only theoretical knowledge”
[…] Dorah shared her testimony in reaction to Prof. Christopher Garimoi Orach’s thesis that “it isn’t enough to give learners only theoretical knowledge.” […]
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[…] Dorah shared her testimony in reaction to Prof. Christopher Garimoi Orach’s thesis that “it isn’t enough to give learners only theoretical knowledge.” […]
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[…] wrote this in reaction to Prof. Christopher Garimoi Orach’s thesis that “it isn’t enough to giver learners only theoretical knowledge.” Glady’s testimony explains a lot of how post graduation, many have university graduates have […]
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I studied Bachelors in Demography and Reproductive Health. With the Reproductive Health part of it, I have practical things I am required to do. Well, while at the University, I did not do any practical thing my entire years at the University. And when I joined an organization for my Industrial training, it was “hell”. I would say because practical knowledge was required, but I did not have it. I used to believe that when the time comes, I would just apply my theoretical knowledge to do the practical. But, sincerely, it was totally different. Prof. Orach is surely right when he asserts that “it isn’t enough to give learners only theoretical knowledge.”
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