Skilling Uganda: Are the objectives being met?

In the recent past, people have come to believe that education is the key, but having skills is the master key. In a bid to skill the Ugandan population therefore, the government launched the Business, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) Strategic Plan 2011 – 2020 also known as Skilling Uganda.

According to the Strategic Plan, Skilling Uganda was to represent a paradigm shift for skills development in Uganda, enhance productivity and growth with a main purpose of creating employable skills and competencies relevant in the labour market.

“We wanted to emphasise a paradigm shift. For a long time in our education system, people have treasured university certificates but in the end, it is not all about the certificate but the competencies in skills based training,” Hajjat Safina Musenne, the commissioner BTVET, explains noting that they have registered progress doing this.

Among things that the strategy aimed at doing was to allow one to two-year courses, a module system, evening hours trainings, weekend training, but also open to everyone; employed and unemployed regardless of their education background and age. It also envisioned a close partnership with private institutions.

Progress so far
Among the objectives of the strategy was institution-building in which Musenne believes they have made considerable progress with government injecting more than Shs200b in construction of new ones and renovation of old ones. Though the plan is to build and renovate 25 technical institutions, Musenne notes, “we have constructed technical institutions in Namataba, Lwengo, Namutumba, and renovated some in Iganga, Mubende, Kiryandongo, Institute of Allied Health and Management Sciences in Nyakatare.” Under the same arrangement, government secured funding to establish centres of excellence at Uganda Technical Colleges Lira, Elgon, Bushenyi and Bukalasa Agricultural College and the Fisheries Institute.

As for teacher/instructor training, Abilonino Teacher Training School, formerly a polytechnic college was commissioned last year becoming the only provider of pre-service training for technical, teachers and instructors for the BTVET system. This is helped by Nakawa Vocational Institute and Jinja Vocational Training Institute.

However, providing skills alone is not enough unless they are quality. To ensure quality, the Uganda Business and Technical Examination Board – which streamlines, regulates and coordinates national exams for BTVET rolled out its Strategic Plan this year and emphasised adoption of competence-based curriculum.

“This aimed at having a single body examine and assess all students in BTVET training. This year, for the first time in Uganda, almost all students will be sitting UBTEB exams and this is great achievement in the seven years of BTVET. About 90 per cent of institutions have come on board for formal education. There are still a few stubborn institutions, but we know that gradually, they will join us,” Onesmus Oyesigye, the board’s executive secretary, says.

Additionally, the November/December UBTEB final exams exhibit a consistent increase in the number of sitting candidates. Statistics in 2012 indicate 9,198 candidates sat the examinations and number continues to grow to 16,262 in 2013, 17,312 in 2014, 24,917 in 2015, 25,876 in 2016 and 30,180 in 2017.
Further still, among the challenges that BTVET faced was upgrading. “Currently, they have introduced national certificates that are equivalent to O-Level certificates after which one can enroll for a diploma or degree course,” Joseph Mutilu, the chairperson of BTVET instructors association, says. “We, however, are still debating on why someone who completes a national certificate and passes highly still has to go for a diploma for two years yet students from A-Level can be admitted directly to the university,” he says.

Shortfalls
Irregularities in paying instructors is one of the challenges the BTVET strategic plan is currently facing. Recently, through their association, instructors planned to take industrial action till their unpaid salaries were settled.
“President Museveni enhanced the salary of instructors from Shs625,000 to Shs1.2m and Shs1.08m to Shs2.2m. Very few instructors were paid that. Others would print a payslip reading Shs1.2m or Shs2.2m but in reality have Shs800,000 on their accounts,” Mutilu says.

Additionally, the strategic plan was also meant to have public campaigns launched to improve the largely negative image of BTVET in Uganda. However, there has been little of that. “Very often, the public is not aware of opportunities in BTVET. There is need for attitude change towards Skilling Uganda. People are not aware of scholarship opportunities, available courses or where to study from,” Denis Mutema, a vocational instructor, says.

With the exception of a few private providers, there is no career guidance and vocational counselling in Ugandan schools and homes in promotion of BTVET. During the planning period, a strategy for the systematic introduction of career guidance and counselling was to be developed.

In addition, programmes were to be introduced at primary school level to make pupils appreciate BTVET careers as alternative progression pathways. However, most primary and secondary schools remain largely academic-based, save for a few schools that teach BTVET skills such as Mengo Senior Secondary School.

Enrolment
As for female enrollment, the BTVET plan noted that female enrollment still constituted only 25 per cent of the total enrollment in the formal BTVET system, concentrated on few occupations. Though the numbers have increased over the years, female dominated fields such as business is still dominated by females and male ones such as technical education still dominated by males.
Seven years down the road, BTVET has achieved some of its objectives but as indicated there is still more to be done.

Statistics
According to statistics by UBTEB, between 2016 and 2017, diploma and certificate business courses were dominated by girls. 2,454 girls sat for a business certificate in comparison to their 543 male counterparts in 2017. On the other hand, boys dominated technical courses. At Technical National certificate, 11,737 boys sat for it in comparison to their 2,893 female counterparts in 2017. This is indicative of the still few numbers of female enrolment onto the BTVET.

Institutions under BTVET
Technical Colleges
Colleges of commerce
Nursing and Midwifery Training Institutions
Allied Health Training Institutions
Departmental Training Colleges
Agricultural and Farm Institutions
Technical Institutions
Business schools and Institutions
Technical schools and community polytechnics

VOICES

“BTVET training is a real opportunity, especially for people who have few marks. It is also good that it has been put out even to people who have no prior education, and yet they can have documents.”
Clare Mufumba, student, Bwaise Business and Vocational training Centre

“Among challenges that BTVET still faces is that though it gives skills to people, there has been little done in helping them start up to explore the skills acquired even further.”
Diana Ariva, ailoring and fashion design

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