George’s story: Love for technology lead to teaching

George Onyango is the go-to person when you’re having trouble with a device. As the electronic technology technician at Nakawa Vocational Training College, he’s the first one to step in. “People often claim that their computers or phones are faulty, but in reality, they just don’t know how to operate them. So instead of fixing, I start teaching,” says George.

Joined Mondo’s digital competencies program

The issue of lacking digital skills is so widespread that George decided to upgrade his own knowledge and joined Mondo’s digital competencies program, which currently focuses on vocational education and training (VET) schools in Uganda. Involving the staff of five VET schools, Mondo—together with partners from Tallinn University and Kyambogo University—develops solutions to enhance the digital capacity of VET institutions in Uganda. This includes training trainers like George, who will, in turn, share their knowledge with their own colleagues.

“Actually, it’s been my passion since childhood. I used to pretend things were broken—I’d take apart my mom’s radio and then repair it. I loved electronics in general, and I like that my work is so closely related to that.” Before joining Nakawa, George trained refugee students, sharing his passion for repairing phones, televisions, computers, and more.

Technology is a passion

A few years ago, Uganda transitioned to a competence-based national curriculum, which created a growing demand for staff who could combine practical skills with teaching. “So I was invited back to Nakawa to guide students through the new curriculum in a hands-on way, because I had solid knowledge of the latest technologies in the field. I now have four roles, and I love it—because it’s my hobby, my passion.”

In June, George participated in a follow-up mentorship session for the digital competencies training that was held in February. This marked an important milestone in the process of developing an institutional ICT policy for the college—setting clear guidelines to improve digital workflows and define every step that can be digitized. “In terms of change—yeah, it has changed my way of working,” George concludes.